A program in four local schools is teaching young students the basics of gardening and emphasizing a healthier diet.
The School Garden Alliance -- organized by the Layton Boulevard West Neighbors-- has been working with students from Nativity Jesuit Elementary, Wind Lake Academy, U.S. Grant Elementary and St. Rafael the Archangel School for months.
The non-profit provided the supplies to build raised beds on each campus, including wood, soil and plans for construction.
Each school used the new beds as a tie-in to their existing science curriculum, and was solely responsible for the upkeep of the gardens.
Students at each school spent the spring tending to the plants, and this fall, they will weigh their harvest in a friendly competition between schools.
The program was funded by the Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation in partnership with the City of Milwaukee Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation.
Click the podcast player to listen to students from Nativity (pictured above) explain how they got the garden started.