Thanks to a grant from the Davis foundation, The Riley School in Rockport will soon take delivery of a new greenhouse. The greenhouse will provide a place for vegetables, but in true Riley fashion, “growing vegetables" is more significantly focused on cultivating growth and learning for children.

Yes, we hope to have pumpkins, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, radishes, an asparagus bed, but these vegetable are the secondary value. Riley's mission is to satisfy and inform children's innate curiosity. Our objective is not farm produce, vital as that is, but to nurture curiosity and cultivate children's natural appetite for learning, and, for fresh healthy foods. With our 22 acres of fields and forest, we are uniquely positioned to pursue this avenue of education. This greenhouse is a means to that end.

How will we do this? In the short-term we intend to have the greenhouse ready for "Summer at Riley," which begins on June 29. Maria Orlova, co-director of the camp and an experienced farmer will be offering the children two programs: Field Science and, with co-director Tracy Brixius, The Natural World.

The Natural World will include the arts and support children to use the gardens and surrounding eco-systems to explore, document, create, and write using drawing, photography, the creation of camera-less images, creative writing and poetry.

Field Science will encourage the children to dig in the soil, learn about soil chemistry, composting, mulching, the value and impact of worms, pollinators, pests, thermal regulation, watering, et cetera.

During the regular school year Kathy Walker, our science facilitator, will be in charge, in cooperation with Maria, who will remain present as a parent. The greenhouse offers both Kathy and Maria the opportunity to create a science-based curriculum based on the interests of different children. The specifics of the programs and of individual experiments and projects are theirs to design. We may look forward to individual plots, long-term seasonal planting, various experiments related to solar incidence and temperature, impact of various organic fertilizers, perhaps even parent-child projects. Both Kathy and Maria have years of experience with greenhouse farming and with children.

Summer at Riley is still accepting applications for Session 2 and 3. Information is available at www.rileyschoool.org or by contactingsummeratriley@gmail.com or 596-6405.