The Child Educational Center’s School-Age Program at Westridge School for Girls was the next group of CEC children to take on the challenge of Earth 2.
We started by asking the girls a simple question, “What does it mean to ‘Carry the Earth?’”
We received a variety of responses:
Next, we challenged them with the question, “What can we do here at Westridge to help ‘Carry the Earth?’”
On campus, there was an overgrown set of planter boxes on the play yard that had been unused for many years. When brainstorming possible projects, it was an almost a unanimous decision: “Let’s clean up the garden boxes and plant seeds and vegetables!”
After waiting for several weeks for the rain to subside, the Westridge girls were ready to pull weeds, dig, and plant to bring new life to the school garden. There were smiling faces all around, and though the project began with only the younger girls participating, soon the older girls joined, drawn in by the joy and laughter as we all worked together to plant our new garden.
There was a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment as the girls planted the various seeds and plants, and after the project was completed, the girls discussed how they wished more people would plant fresh fruit and vegetables in their own yards to support the environment. Seeing the success and fun of the garden inspired them to talked about ways they could continue the spirit of Carry the Earth by figuring out how to decrease the litter and trash at Westridge.
We are so excited to watch our garden grow, and the girls have already made plans to make fruit and vegetable salads with our first harvest! We are so happy to be a part of this wonderful project and that we can do our part to help “Carry the Earth!”
Next, Earth 2 journeyed to the CEC’s School-Age Program at St. Bede the Venerable Elementary School.