Last week, Raley's celebrated giving Alyce Taylor Elementary School in Sparks a Captain Planet Foundation Project Learning Garden.
The learning garden was set up by a third-grade class that remodeled old garden beds, filled them with organic soil, and planted a range of herbs and vegetables.
The Project Learning Garden consists of a mobile cooking cart, soil, seeds, and raised garden beds that are simple to put together.
In addition, the school receives scientific and literacy instructional materials as well as equipment to extend learning into the garden.
Teachers are provided with learning outcomes and standards-based thematic activities.
The garden program also includes a collection of garden manuals and advice on growing, harvesting, composting, cooking with children, and other topics.
Raley's says students benefit from learning about science and nutrition in addition to social studies, arithmetic, and language arts, according to schools that have learning gardens.
They say students can learn about the origins of the food they grow, taste-test nutritious meals, and broaden their palates.
Raley's says that Sarah Gobbs-Hill and Brittani Haggerty of the Education Alliance, council members Donald Abbott and Paul Anderson of Sparks City, Sparks City Attorney Wes Duncan, Washoe County Commissioner Clara Andriola, and trustees from the Washoe County School Board were present at the ceremony.
The Captain Planet Foundation and Raley's crew members were also there as well.
Raley's, working together with the Captain Planet Foundation, sponsored three gardens, including this one.
Pioneer Union School in Sommerset, California, and Mount Rose K-8 in Reno were the other two schools to receive Project Learning Gardens.
Local schools submitted their applications last autumn through an online grant application process.
