By Sara Ballenger

Students at Mariano Castro School in Mountain View will be getting down and dirty this fall in the garden at the Mountain View Senior Center.

The K-3 graders will take part in the Generation Connection Literacy in the Garden program sponsored by the Mountain View-Los Altos Adult School.

The eight-week program brings 40 Castro students to the garden with volunteers from the community to answer questions and help the students experience the garden on many levels.

“We want the children to be able to ask questions about the garden and learn about nature’s life cycle,” said Linda McCrary, of the adult school. “These are kids who are learning English as a second language for the most part. For them to see a California Golden Poppy, to see its petals or to learn that it closes up at night is so wonderful. Most of these children have never been in a garden.”

The garden, at the intersection of Escuela and Cresanto near the Hetch Hetchy pumping station, is a multicultural one, growing among many things, Chinese hairy melons and tomatillos, McCrary added.

After the students take a tour of the garden, the volunteers have them sit and draw or write about what they learned and liked about the garden.

Oftentimes volunteers help the students with their spelling and vocabulary.

“I think many kids have never seen a tomato plant or how a cucumber grows,” said volunteer Eva Koltai. “We explain how if you plant a seed and with water and sun, plants will grow from the seed. We also answer questions like how to spell tomato.” Koltai said the program is just as beneficial for the volunteers.

“For the senior citizens to be gardening and involved in taking care of something is therapeutic,” Koltai added.

McCrary said the program is looking for volunteers.

A two hour volunteer training starts Sept. 9.

The program is scheduled 12:15-2:15 p.m., Sept. 16 through Nov. 4.

The program is also looking for patio or picnic umbrellas for the children to sit under at the picnic tables in the garden.

To donate an umbrella, volunteer or for more information, call Linda McCrary at 940-6024 or e-mail her at