Growing with Purpose: Supporting Our Community One Herb at a Time
Our students have continued to work weekly during their science period to care for our indoor greenhouse. They have planted herbs, which we have proudly sold throughout the school, building both responsibility and real-world vocational skills.
As our plants continue to grow, we are excited to share our harvest by delivering fresh herbs to the Cranford Food Pantry in June. Looking ahead, we are especially excited to expand our efforts into the community by transplanting our indoor plants into the school’s outdoor garden, where they will have the space and environment to truly thrive and reach their full growth potential.
We are excited to share that our students of Westlake School obtained an indoor greenhouse with grow lights through the Kids Dig In grant, a meaningful opportunity that will transform learning for our students with Autism. This grant has allowed us to bring year-round gardening directly into our classroom, creating a structured, sensory-friendly environment where students can explore plant growth, responsibility, and vocational skills regardless of weather or season. For many of our learners, especially those who thrive on routine and predictable systems, having a consistent indoor growing space provides stability while still offering hands-on, engaging experiences.
The indoor greenhouse is more than just shelves and lights; it is a dynamic teaching tool. Students will participate in planting seeds, watering, monitoring growth, and harvesting produce, all while following individualized visual schedules and task analyses. The grow lights allow us to simulate natural sunlight, ensuring plants thrive even during colder months, which means our vocational training does not pause. Students practice fine motor skills while handling soil and seeds, build functional math skills when measuring water or counting seedlings, and strengthen communication by requesting materials or commenting on plant growth using AAC devices.
This greenhouse also supports social-emotional development. Gardening is naturally regulating and calming, offering sensory input through touch, smell, and visual observation. Students experience the pride that comes from nurturing a living thing and seeing tangible results from their work. The structure of daily plant care routines reinforces independence, responsibility, and work-readiness behaviors such as completing tasks, checking off schedules, and working collaboratively with peers.
Most importantly, the Kids Dig In grant affirms what we already know — our students are capable of meaningful, authentic work when given the right supports. The indoor greenhouse will serve as a foundation for expanding our vocational programming, potentially supplying plants for our school community or future garden center initiatives. It represents growth not only for our plants, but for our students as learners, workers, and valued members of our community.
Plant, Pick, Share: Students Bringing Joy from the Garden
Today our students experienced the full joy of learning from the garden! With care and excitement, they picked fresh flowers and fragrant basil that they helped grow. This activity gave them the opportunity to practice responsibility, patience, and teamwork while connecting their hard work to a meaningful purpose.
The flowers were carefully gathered to be shared with a local nursing home, spreading smiles and kindness to members of our community. The basil was harvested to be used in our cooking activity, where students created delicious mozzarella, tomato, and basil appetizers. Seeing the garden turn into something that could be given and enjoyed made the experience even more powerful.
Through this hands-on activity, students practiced important life skills such as following directions, handling materials gently, identifying plants, and understanding where food comes from. They also strengthened communication skills by making choices, labeling items, and working together toward a shared goal.
This was a beautiful example of how our garden supports independence, confidence, and community connection. From planting to picking to sharing, our students truly showed that small actions can grow into something meaningful.
The sunflower is now 11 ft tall! We harvested more peppers and tomatoes. The first fig from our tree that Groundworks Elizabeth and Mr. Evangelista helped us plant!
Staff and students at Westlake School have welcomed us to their outdoor classroom in which they are growing a variety of plants and fruits!
One of those is a fig tree!
True or False: Figs trees have blossoms on their branches.
Answer: False- Fig Trees have NO blossoms on their branches. The blossom is inside of the fruit. These tiny flowers are able to produce the crunchy edible seeds that give figs their unique texture!
Union County Vice Chairwoman Kimberly Palmieri-Mouded joined faculty from Crossroads School in Westfield to kickoff their summer planting season!
Fun Fact: Crossroads School is an innovative school that educates students between the ages f 3-14 and is committed to helping students reach their fullest potential through rigorous instruction, community-based field experience, and collaborative approach. Some of the services Crossroads School provides students with include occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology, Behavior Analytic Services, Special Educators, and Social-Emotional Learning coaches.
