Chelsea Senior Center’s Read & Seed Celebrates Another Successful Year

Nearly 90 Chelsea Community Preschoolers dug into seed-sowing fun at Chelsea Senior Center on April 23 and 24 for the annual Read and Seed program.

“I am thrilled that Read and Seed continues to be a highly anticipated activity each year,” says Jennifer Smith, Executive Director, Chelsea Senior Center. “Many preschoolers have heard older siblings talk about Read and Seed and are excited to participate. Some of our senior volunteers read to their grandkids and great-grandkids!”

Master Gardener Allison Rullman streamlined the gardening efforts with garden rows and seed packets for each classroom, and water-filled cups at the ready.

“That was so easy,” says one preschooler as he skipped out of the hoop house after planting tiny carrot seeds.

The collective hard work will pay off when the preschoolers return later this spring to see the vegetables sprouting, including green bean, bok choy, green onion, spinach, beet, turnip, radish, kale, chervil, lettuce, nasturtium, cucumber, yellow squash and edamame.

After planting at the Board Room of the Washington Street Education Center, CSC volunteers read books to students like The Crunching, Munching Caterpillar, I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato and The Surprise Garden. The indoor gatherings for story time offered a respite for the young ones and gave volunteers an opportunity to engage with the younger generation with age-specific silly topics and practical how-tos on tending a garden.

“I love reading to the kids because they enjoy it so much. I like to choose my favorite books, so I try to arrive early,” Kathy Eberle, a longtime Read and Seed volunteer, said. “Reading to such young children gives me hope for the future.”