Tend and Tell Program
Where does your food come from? Young city children may not think past the supermarket aisles or the home refrigerator.
Starting out as a volunteer reading program, Tend and Tell has evolved into a three classroom integrated program focusing on this important question through explorations in the garden and through story.
This year, 60 kindergartners from the Harvard Kent School will spend 30 minutes each week reading stories and spending time at hands on activities. Starting in the spring, students will attend field trips to the Gardens for Charlestown. By visiting the gardens over the course of the season, children will see the garden come to life. In June, the program will culminate in a field trip outside of Charlestown.
Run entirely by volunteers and supported by a grant from the Spaulding CNC Community Partnership Fund, Tend and Tell is a unique twelve week program that brings together earth science and literacy with the garden as its laboratory. Leaves, bugs, flowers and earth are all subjects of exploration. Starting seeds, releasing butterflies and observing ladybugs bring young students closer to nature and spark curiosity in the world around us.
As the program nears its five year anniversary, the hope is to expand the program to the Warren-Prescott K-8 and well, making this truly a neighborhood learning experience. While the grant from Spaulding is coming up for renewal, Tend and Tell is looking to the community for additional support. Volunteers are the heart of the project, and financial support its lifeline.
Please join us in support of this unique educational model. For additional information about the program, or to volunteer, please contact Amy Kennedy Slesar. Thank you!
