Planting Rapunzel, page 2



For "planting Rapunzel, page 1," click here.


A parallel story: How Rapunzel went to school


In March I met with kindergartners at New York's Midtown West School (P.S. 212), to speak about the book Rapunzel. This was one of the first events in a two-year fairy-tale-combined-with-theater study led by their remarkable teacher, Bryan Andes, and his colleague Miranda Critz. Later, when my rapunzel seeds arrived from England, I thought these children might appreciate the experience of planting and growing and possibly even eating their own rapunzel. When I offered to send some seeds to Bryan, he told me that the classes had already started a fairy tale garden in the school's own nearby garden, so nothing could have been more appropriate.

Unfortunately, the seeds I mailed to them failed to germinate. So recently my wife Deborah, who before she retired from teaching was at one point also a remarkable kindergarten teacher, carried a small batch of our rapunzel seedlings up to P.S. 212, and class, teachers and parent volunteers planted them in the garden.







Let's hope for the best for these rapunzels.





Bad news: a spring and early summer of almost ceaseless rain seems to have done in the rapunzel.

Well, the Zelinskys' plants are still doing fine, so there is rapunzel to spare. Even though the school year is over, the school's garden is being tended by parent volunteers. So another visit is called for, bringing five replacement plants.




Paul's wife Deborah and artist and school gardener Aimee Margolis plant more rapunzel, on July 14, 2009, the French Republic's 220th birthday. The French story that was later rewritten as "Rapunzel" is 92 years older than that.

Conclusion:
During the summer there was construction at the building next door, as a result of which, rats overran the garden. The rapunzel didn't make it. Not what people call "a fairy tale ending," is it? But it was a good experience for the children.




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