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Children at Ormondale School are eating more vegetables, much to the surprise of their parents. This phenomenon is a result of the school’s Garden Thyme program, which teaches elementary school students about healthy foods, ecology and gardening.
Brook Coffee, parent and Garden Thyme teacher, is introducing students from as young as 4 years old the importance of eating healthy, how to grow their own food and plant biology. Coffee has been gardening since she was a kid, has a background in biology and has been teaching science since she was 19 years old.
“The most important aspect is making healthy food choices,” said Coffee. “We talk a lot about how food affects your mental health and physical health.”
The San Mateo County School Board Association recognized the program with a 2024 J. Russell Kent award in April. The award recognizes innovative and replicable programs in the county.
Coffee started as a volunteer in the school garden and was invited to teach gardening to second graders through a grant obtained by the school in 2014. With the success of the program, the director of curriculum increased grant funding in 2018 allowing her to teach transitional kindergarten through third grade.
With Coffee’s work, Ormondale’s garden is thriving with edible flowers, tomatoes, herbs, lettuce and more. Sweet sugar snap peas and lemony French sorrel are a favorite among students, according to Coffee.
Andrew Masters, a student in the Garden Thyme program at Ormondale Elementary in Portola Valley, studies the school’s garden and takes notes on May 29, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Garden Thyme teacher Brook Coffee tastes a sweet pea with stidents in the garden at Portola Valley’s Ormondale Elementary on May 29, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Students in the Garden Thyme program at Portola Valley’s Ormondale Elementary make “garden tacos” out of the edible plants in the school’s garden on May 29, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Garden Thyme teacher Brook Coffee goes over the life cycle of plants before bringing students out to the garden at Portola Valley’s Ormondale Elementary on May 29, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Samuel Deacon Reilly, a student in the Garden Thyme program at Ormondale Elementary in Portola Valley, helps tie back thriving sugar snap peas on May 29, 2024. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
Trying new vegetables can be nerve-racking for children, but it becomes fun when they’re trying them in a “garden taco.” Every week, students make a taco entirely made of vegetables picked from the garden and eat them with the class.
Coffee reassures her students that it’s OK to be scared and provides an environment where students are able to make their own choices in what they want to try. She believes that it’s important to give children exposure to new and healthy foods.
Coffee teaches students that vegetables are healthier when they’re fresher. It also allows kids to be involved in the process of growing a small seed into a sprouting plant. They learn to work as a team and practice patience and kindness as they work on projects in the garden.
Coffee enjoys witnessing “the intrinsic joy of being able to put something tiny into the ground and be able to grow magical things.” She feels a sense of hope and joy from seeing the magical process of seeds grow into edible plants — a process that she’s shocked by to this day.
Students are also bringing their learning back home with them as they’re given a variety of seeds and plants to share with their families.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Coffee started a Tomato Tuesdays event where students would be able to take a tomato plant home. In this period of social isolation, the tomato plants served as a connection between students as they all worked on caring for their plants in different environments. Studies show gardening improves mental health and lowers stress levels.
“I’ve seen students that struggle in the classroom, thrive in the garden. It’s a sense of calm and happiness,” said Coffee, who advocates for every school to have its own garden program.
‘If I was president I would want every school to have a garden.’
Garden thyme teacher brook coffee
Within the Portola Valley School District, the gardening program is growing. In January, Coffee started a lunchtime garden club at Corte Madera School. She said she often catches students stuffing their pockets with sugar snap peas.
She explains that a garden is more affordable compared to new school developments and would also provide access to fresh and healthy foods. It can be run by parent volunteers and helps build a sense of community.
“If I was president I would want every school to have a garden,” said Coffee. She wishes to be able to find a way to fund all schools to have a gardening program.
