LEWISTON — While teaching gardening to her students at Geiger Elementary School this past spring, Mrs. Gill was asked by a student, “What can we cook with tomatoes?” Another student asked Mrs. Gill if she would take him to a florist shop to learn more about many different types of flowers. Mrs. Gill had a terrific idea: why not take the kids to a local florist that grows flowers, and a restaurant that uses a lot of tomatoes? Mrs. Gill’s classroom visited Blais Florist and DaVinci’s Eatery for a Functional Life Skills field trip. Through the generosity of each of these businesses, the students were able to learn life-long lessons.

Their class is already full of “seasoned” gardeners since they had created several raised garden beds last year at Geiger School. They grew cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and carrots. They made homemade pickles and salsa. Their gardens expanded this year from three to eight and will produce even more vegetables, herbs and flowers. The lessons involved in the gardening program Mrs. Gill has created are numerous. The kids practice math, reading, science, economics, social skills, gardening, tools, responsibility, community job opportunities and team work, and it builds their self-confidence and self-esteem, too.

With assistance from the Lewiston Education Fund and Lowes Building Supplies, the class began this year’s gardening program. They were able to build an indoor greenhouse, learn about potting flowers and vegetables, build raised beds and learn about life cycles from the compost, plants and animals that live in the gardens.

While planning for the field trip, each student needed to learn about proper restaurant etiquette, jobs in landscaping and floral shops and restaurants, reading menus, growing from seeds and practicing appropriate communication skills.