This morning, we hosted our second annual planting workshop at Living Water Daycare in Williamson. Last year, we attempted the “living wall at Living Water,” mounting a living wall planter on the wall of the daycare. While this was successful, this year we wanted to amp it up a little.

Living Water recently started a new program called the “two bite club.” This program encourages children to try two bites of new food each week. The program director, Jackie Branch, has made it her goal to remove all processed foods from the children’s diet!! She said they are about 90% there and that she prepares the students food fresh each day! During the summer this is at least 50 students that have this opportunity.

Today, she wanted us to help lead a workshop that would encourage both daycare staff as well as students to grow their own food. Additionally, she wanted to incorporate the lesson into the two bite club by having us bring some locally grown vegetables that they had never tried before. This included zucchini, chives, sweet peppers as well as tomatoes and cucumbers.

Earlier in the week prior to the workshop she had close to 20 tires donated to the daycare, and throughout the week students worked to paint them different colors and into different animated characters. They turned out SO cute.

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With the help of agriculture teacher Angie Fisher, several agriculture students and local beekeper Arlene Starr, we planted THREE flats of vegetable plants throughout the daycare. The students had a great time. After, they each had a salad and seemed to enjoy every bite of it. This was a great way to utilize old tires and to get students interested in growing and eating their own food!!

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