The Estabrook School Greenhouse

On November 5, 2000, the Estabrook School Greenhouse was dedicated and officially opened for use by the students and teachers of the school. The obverse side of the sign at the west entrance to the greenhouse proclaims the mission statement of the greenhouse that motivated the Estabrook community to raise funds to build it. It says: Estabrook Greenhouse - A Place Where Children Can Grow - Planting Seeds of Inquiry and Enlightenment. The reverse side pays tribute to the generosity of all people who made it possible for the greenhouse to become a reality: Our greenhouse was built thanks to generous donations from the Estabrook community, the Lexington Education Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.

The greenhouse structure is 18ft. x 24ft. and is in operation twelve months of the year, thanks to a propane gas-fueled heating system in the winter months. During the summer months, the operation of the greenhouse extends to raised planting-beds and barrels on the south side of the structure. Installed at the greenhouse is its very own weather station. Near the ridgepole on the east side of the greenhouse, you can see equipment that monitors wind direction, wind velocity, and rainfall. The weather station is connected to the system that opens and closes the vents to the greenhouse based on its interior temperature. The system will automatically close the vents so that they will not be damaged, if the wind velocity exceeds a certain speed, and when it rains.

The Estabrook School Greenhouse is a rich and valuable resource for students and teachers. In the greenhouse, children learn directly about the life cycles of plants and flowers, the uses that people make of them, and what is required to propagate and raise plants and flowers. This kind of learning is best acquired by children through direct experience; working with the soil, seeds, and plants themselves. The greenhouse is just the right "classroom" to provide that kind of experience! Greenhouse activities and projects are related to curriculum goals and are fully integrated with classroom learning. For instance, in addition to learning about present-day plants and flowers, the children learn in the classroom how ancient cultures, Native Americans, and Colonial Americans, cultivated the soil and what crops they grew. Some of those crops are even replicated in the greenhouse or in the raised planting-beds and barrels.

When you get a chance, drop by the greenhouse to see for yourself why it is "A Place Where Children Can Grow," while they learn the significance and place of horticulture in their lives by being active learners/gardeners, i.e., by getting their hands deep into the soil! There is nothing like it!

For current information regarding activities in the greenhouse, please check the recent Estabrook Updates, and sometimes the PTA Newsletters too, which are all available online via links on the Estabrook Information Index page and the latest edition of each is also accessible via the menu on the top left side of our home page.

Interested in helping the Greenhouse grow this year? There are all kinds of opportunities available. You can volunteer to work with your child’s class or help in the Greenhouse before school or at the midday recess. We also need help with all kinds of special events. If you’ve got ideas, comments, questions–or would like to volunteer, please call Alex Dohan 781-863-5882, Mimi Watstein 781-862-0502, or Gretchen Denison 781-674-2935. We hope to hear from you soon.

If you would like further information or have a comment about the greenhouse, you can also reach the steering committee by leaving a note at the school office in the "Greenhouse" mailbox.

Click here to look at the Estabrook Library's list of Gardening books.
Review September 02 and Spring-Summer 02 at the greenhouse
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Last update 11/18/03 by webmaster David L. Kaufman