March 26, 2025
NATCHITOCHES – Some peas need a little help to get growing and a little music never hurts.
With spring planting underway in the school garden at Northwestern State University Elementary Lab School, students have been reading about seeds, vegetables and how they grow. Librarian, 4-H sponsor and school garden head horticulturist Lisa Wiggins introduced kindergarten students to a book called “The Pea Patch Jig” by Thatcher Hurd, then discovered an American folk song of the same name. With peas in the garden slow to grow, Wiggins invited a special guest to help wake them up.
Kindergarten student Ana Kurti was proud to introduce her dad, Dr. Andrej Kurti, professor of violin and viola at NSU, to perform “The Pea Patch Jig,” in the school’s outdoor classroom and parade through the pea patch. Students then planted seeds and were treated to nutritious green smoothies that Wiggins prepared on-site.
Kurti is an internationally acclaimed violinist who has served on NSU’s faculty since 2004. His wife Sofiko Tchetchelashvili also teaches violin and viola with NSU’s music faculty. Both are active solo and chamber musicians.
The E Lab garden, where students grow vegetables, herbs and plants that attract butterflies, has been a popular addition to classroom learning. Hands-on experiences in the garden incorporate reading, earth science, health, nutrition and other topics important to early learning.
“Students see first-hand the life cycle of plants and it helps reinforce many concepts taught in class about the parts of plants and what plants need to grow,” Wiggins said. “It also encourages them to try new and healthy food. If they grow it, they are much more likely to eat or taste it.”
Of the morning’s music performance, “they said they loved it and think the peas with grow so high because of the music,” Wiggins added.
Dr. Andrej Kurti, center, performed for kindergarteners in the outdoor classroom at NSU Elementary Lab School. Standing at left is Lisa Wiggins, school garden coordinator and librarian. Seated at right is Kurti’s daughter, Ana, a kindergarten student.
