A Look Back to Last Fall: Daleville Elementary Students Celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day

Nestled behind Daleville Jr. Sr. High School lies an Outdoor Learning Lab — a magical place where learning comes alive amidst the rustling leaves of berry bushes, herbs, and the fragrant blossoms and fruits of over a hundred apple trees. Supported by a combination of sponsorships, local and federal grant funding, and the labor and imagination of volunteers in the community, the Outdoor Learning Lab is an environment where kids and teachers alike can escape the classroom for hands-on learning in the great outdoors.

Asst. Principal Kevin Joseph donned the iconic garb of Johnny Appleseed to share how the adventurer and conservationist introduced apple trees and established apple orchards across OH, IN, and IL.

In the 80x20 greenhouse named the Kinder Garden, a pepper and an apple are shown to students side-by-side, a lesson that each plant is different and seeds come in all shapes and sizes.

Carrying clipboards and a list of items to find including butterflies, leaves, insects, pinecones, and a cloud, Daleville Elementary students get ready for an orchard scavenger hunt.

Students and teachers gather together for lunch in the Tinker Nook, a whimsically decorated garden space used for arts and crafts.

Teachers show students how they can preserve their apples and other vegetables, herbs, and teas using the Outdoor Learning Lab’s Solar Dehydrator.

Last year, when autumn started to paint the world in hues of gold and crimson, the students at Daleville Elementary were eagerly awaiting September 26: Johnny Appleseed Day. A day dedicated to celebrating the joys of nature, food, learning… and the giggle-inducing sight of their assistant principal wearing a cooking pot for a hat.

The students began the crisp, sunny morning in the Holistic Orchard, and were eagerly awaiting the activities for the day when their assistant principal appeared through the trees. In a tribute to the adventurer and conservationist known for introducing apple trees to the U.S. and establishing apple orchards across Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, Assistant Principal Kevin Joseph had donned the iconic garb of Johnny Appleseed—a cooking pot sitting lopsided atop his head, and a sack of apple seeds slung over his shoulder. The students gathered around him to learn about the life and legacy of Johnny Appleseed and gain extra appreciation for the life in the orchard that surrounded them. 

After sharing his story with the students, Johnny Appleseed waved goodbye to the kids and was off, back into the orchard. The students followed shortly after, plucking ripe apples right off the trees for a mid-morning snack. From Crimson Crisps to Melrose, the students bit into several varieties of freshly harvested apples, savoring both the taste of the apple and the experience of eating something they had harvested themselves. 

Students also learned about how they could preserve the bounty of their apple harvest. Tucked among the greenery, the students gathered around another wonder of the Outdoor Learning Lab — a Solar Dehydrator. Teachers explained that the solar dehydrator uses the power of the sun to heat the air, which then circulates over apple slices to dry and preserve them for later enjoyment. It’s also used for drying teas, herbs, vegetables, and other fruits. Students eagerly sampled dried apples handed out by their teachers, marveling at the transformation and discussing the differences and similarities between the fresh and dried apples.

But a balanced diet calls for both fruits and vegetables! So, their bellies filled with apples, the students made their way to the 80x20 greenhouse in the Outdoor Learning Lab named the “Kinder Garden.” Inside the Kinder Garden, rows of raised garden beds burst with beans, onions, garlic, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots.

The students lined up next to garden beds filled with pepper plants for a quick lesson on where seeds come from. Their teacher cut open a fresh pepper, showing the handful of white seeds inside, and placed it next to an apple half to show students that seeds come in all shapes and sizes.

Then the students headed back outside for their next activity — an orchard scavenger hunt! Dividing into small groups, the students were armed with clipboards and a list of items to find that included butterflies, leaves, insects, pinecones, and a cloud. The students wound through the paths of the 4-acre Outdoor Learning Lab, searching for hidden treasures among the foliage. 

When the sun climbed higher in the sky and bellies once again started to rumble, students and teachers gathered to share lunchtime at picnic tables nestled within the Tinker Nook — a whimsically decorated garden space used for outdoor arts and crafts projects. 

As the morning drew to a close,  the students headed back to the classroom — their faces full of sunshine, their hearts full with the joy of exploration and the simple pleasure of connecting with the world around them, and their heads full of new knowledge about where food comes from. While Johnny Appleseed Day may only come once a year, the lessons learned among the natural wonders in the Daleville Outdoor Learning Lab will last a lifetime.