'The earth is the ultimate classroom'

On Friday morning, Pioneer Elementary first-graders planted pea seeds in the garden behind their school.

Their classmates followed suit in the following days, the second-graders feeling the soil on their fingers while planting kale. Third-graders planted spinach and the fourth-graders lettuce. They will water, weed, harvest and eat the produce in the garden created and coordinated by the Harstine Island Garden Club.

Along the way, the students will get exercise, create art in the space, and learn about chemistry, biology, weather and nutrition as part of the STEAM (science, technology, enginee...