Little Greenhouse on the Prairie
Inside every classroom, there lies a lesson to be learned and the purpose behind it.
These two critical components have rarely seen a more simple and joyful union than the one pioneered by teacher Chris Henke Mueller of The Prairie School, located in tranquil Wind Point, Wisconsin.
Modeling her science curriculum on the National Edible Schoolyard Project, Henke Mueller's mission is to teach a group of around twenty 3rd and 4th graders to appreciate the cultivation, nutritional benefits and triumphant tastes of wholesome foods. Her plan of action: to do so in any way possible.
Of course, growing and tending to crops is among the many strategies that Henke Mueller utilizes to teach her students the importance of food. They routinely get their hands dirty in the school’s own considerably abundant plots. The Prairie School is home to a fully-functional greenhouse and garden that together boast a lengthy list of produce; everything from tomatoes, potatoes and carrots to peppers and beets—even swiss chard—can be harvested there.
Henke Mueller supplements these trips to the garden with a few lessons that inform her students of the biological rewards that come with eating such variant and natural foods. “We get into a little bit about what vitamins do, how they help you form a scab when you cut yourself, or help your eyes grow strong,” she explains. “But I mostly keep it simple for them so that they can engage in it on a daily basis. I tell them to eat a rainbow of foods.”
And they do. With Henke Mueller’s guidance, the students have prepared dishes that represent the many facets (and colors) of their greenhouse. They’ve cooked up traditional staples, such as lasagna and spaghetti, while also fitting in more daring dishes that preserve the creativity that their youth so often demands, like donuts made from beets or orange-blossom pudding.
Naturally, Henke Mueller hopes that these nutritious, inventive recipes will grow on the children—especially those whose palates are more welcoming towards sugary treats. “One year, we made healthy Pop-Tarts, because I had a little girl who only ate Pop-Tarts, and that’s horrible,” she says. “I wanted her to see that she could make Pop-Tarts and put something nutritious into it and still have the things that she loves.”
The class is over after forty-five minutes to an hour, and the children are sometimes gifted the ability to bring their freshly-made goods home to share with their families. But for Henke Mueller, the work continues long after the day's end. Sterilizing the tables and scrubbing the leftover dishes, Henke Mueller puts in the elbow grease required to stay on top of the mess from her miniature sous-chefs.
In addition to cleaning up the messes that come with each new day, she maintains a grip on the opportunities that tomorrow could hold for her students. Henke Mueller has planted lemon and lime trees in the Prairie School’s plots where they didn’t exist before, and is currently planning to plant a fig and an olive tree as well.
Henke Mueller’s dedication to her work, along with her seemingly undying creative spirit have propelled forward a simple, yet indispensable message. “It’s all about partaking in those everyday things that we do with excitement. Food should be that way. Food should be the most awesome thing we do every day.”
