Spring has arrived early at Hayden Meadows Elementary School.

Under the supervision of teacher Vern Harvey, students have already begun preparing the school greenhouse for spring planting.

The planting season commenced the second week of January when the school's garden club began unthawing and forcing tulips and daffodil bulbs for February bouquets. Beginning Feb. 7, fourth graders from Kristin Childers’ class started planting the geraniums.

Hayden Meadows student Reese Bligh said she loves the greenhouse.

“It’s a good education place on plants," Reese said Tuesday. "It is a beautiful environment. I love to help out in the greenhouse.”

Her classmate Blakelee Griffits also enjoys how the school has a space for botanical education.

“The greenhouse is helpful for us who have a garden at home," Blakelee said. "We learn new types of flowers, vegetables and fruits that are beautiful and more flavorful than ever. We love the greenhouse because we love to help our environment and the world to become a better place."

All Hayden Meadows students, from kindergarten through fifth grade, participate in the greenhouse. Everyone plants something; others help water, fill pots, keep tidy and assist with the annual greenhouse sale, which will be the Saturday after Mother's Day. The greenhouse program has been supported by the Hayden Rotary Club, the EXCEL Foundation and Camera Corral with annual support from the Coeur d'Alene Garden Club.

Hayden Meadows students have used their green thumb projects to spread kindness like wildflowers throughout the community since the self-sustaining greenhouse project was first launched by Harvey in 2006 and incorporated into the schools art programming. Students give tulips to assisted living residents in February, they provide geraniums for the Fallen Heroes Memorial Plaza in Coeur d'Alene, they donate and plant flowers at Hayden City Hall and they donate to the local senior centers and food bank. Teachers, parents and local volunteers also help out in the greenhouse.

About 150 hanging baskets of various sizes, patio baskets, vegetables, 900 geraniums, 3,000 petunias and 1,000 million bells, as well as zinnias, marigolds, sunflowers, snapdragons and more can be found in the greenhouse. Over 1,000 gallon cans from school kitchens throughout the Coeur d'Alene School District are used to pot many of the flowers and vegetables.

The Hayden Meadows Garden Club spent afternoons all fall and winter preparing the greenhouse for spring planting. The daffodil bulbs were used for measurement exercises in class. The tulip bulbs, when ready, will be given to residents of local assisted living facilities.

These are just two of the many ways students at Hayden Meadows use the greenhouse to connect with the community. Tuesday afternoon they worked on fuchsia baskets and other mixed baskets of geraniums and dahlias. These baskets will be for the greenhouse sale in May.

"The Hayden Meadows Greenhouse strives to make the world a better place with one seed at a time," Harvey said.

    Hayden Meadows Elementary fourth graders Blakelee Griffits, left, and Reese Bligh are happy in the greenhouse Tuesday as they prepare for spring planting.