Watermelon Day!!

 A first grader teaches Farmer Ben the Spanish word for
watermelon: sandia!

Where did the seeds in watermelons go?
Do watermelons grow on a tree, a bush, or a vine?
Are watermelons good for you?

For students at three FirstLine Schools - Green, Arthur Ashe, and Langston Hughes Academy - these questions have been a part of their regular garden and cooking classes. Friday, September 13, was Watermelon Day, an annual celebration of all things watermelon organized by Edible Schoolyard New Orleans as part of their Farm-to-Table program. With a truckload of at least 100 jubilee watermelons, Farmer Ben Burkett and others arrived from Mississippi. Farmer Ben has become a fixture of Watermelon Day over the past few years, but what many may not know is that he’s an inspirational leader of the Indian Springs Farmer Cooperative, and has been building community, empowering farmers, and acting as a force of radical change for over 30 years.

Students roll watermelons in the Watermelon Relay Race

During their recess and garden classes, students visited with Farmer Ben, learned about watermelons, and played games like the watermelon relay race, in which they rolled watermelons, answered trivia questions about watermelons, and cheered each other on. And, of course, everybody got a slice of watermelon, a refreshing treat on such a hot afternoon.

Watermelon Day is not only fun for the students, teachers, and farmers who participate. It's yet another way that ESYNOLA collaborates with FirstLine teachers to get kids moving in healthy ways, teaches integrated core academics, and connects kids to fresh foods that grow locally and to farmers like Ben Burkett and their stories. But because Watermelon Day is so fun, kids may not realize that they're forging relationships and learning things that will influence the choices they make for years to come.

 ESYNOLA garden teacher Mr. Jahmal poses a
watermelon trivia question: "Name a cousin of the watermelon."
 It takes her a second... "Squash!