This year was the first time in eight years I decided to carve a jack-o-lantern. Goodness, was I proud of it. The days leading up to Halloween, I let the sinister eyes and bat-shaped mouth sit a glow on my stoop, lighting up my inner childlike glee.
Promptly on the morning after Halloween, there they were -- the darkening spots, the little fuzzy hairs of mold. October was over and November wasted no time in getting rid of the past.
Fortunately, this month in our Seed-to-Plate curriculum is the time we teach our students about composting. I brought in my proud yet somewhat slumping, jack-o-lantern into MacGregor Elementary to show my students.
"What should I do with my pumpkin now that it's old and moldy?" I asked my first graders. One young girl raised her hand "You need to throw Mr. Fuzzy in the trash." Aha! The teachable moment, all of us teachers hope for. Off to the compost area we went.
Students learned that Mr. Fuzzy would eventually break down into a crumbly, "chocolate" looking mixture, rich in nutrients, for healthier, bigger veggie plants in our Recipe Garden. Healthy soil makes healthy crops, which ultimately means healthy us!
At the end of the lesson, it was a little bittersweet for the students (and me!) to bury Mr. Fuzzy under decomposing vines. Yet, the event energized students to bring their own jack-o-lanterns from home to put in our school compost. Sad pumpkins can make some very happy plants and kiddos.
I challenge you all to do the same with your leftover pumpkins this holiday season!
For pottage and puddings
and custards and pies,
Our pumpkins and parsnips
are common supplies.
We have pumpkins at morning
and pumpkins at noon.
If it were not for pumpkins
we should be undoon.Pilgrim verse (c.1633)
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