“The caterpillar turned into a butterfly!”

“I didn’t know worms had two hearts!”

“Miss Anita, can you say the word ‘chrysalis’?”

“The seeds are so small, there’s a thousand of them!”

“Miss Anita, can you say the word ‘chrysalis’?” Working with Plant the Seed in Metro Nashville Public Schools’ Early Learning Centers is truly one of the joys of my life. Often, when I’m surrounded by children watering swaths of soil, anticipating the explosion of growth from seeds are lying buried, I wonder how I became so lucky to work with this (pardon the garden pun) budding organization. In the two years I’ve been with Plant the Seed, we’ve grown our staff and our capacity for educating children about environmental science and care. We now are working with six schools around the Nashville area, and each site brings its own beauty and challenge and complexity. We have developed lesson plans for preschool children that engage their minds and help them grow their life skills.

The coolest thing about every day I work with kids is the absolute wonder and curiosity they bring to the garden. Unlike so many adults, they are unafraid and unapologetic about asking questions. They have the capacity to sit and bask in the mystery of how seeds hold the potential for life within their tiny cells, and also the ability to ask specific and insightful questions. At Plant the Seed, we plant many things and like to think we are preparing fertile soil where wonder can blossom and flourish.