Did you know that in colonial times herb gardens were often called the housewife’s pharmacy? Fifth graders learned that herbs not only provide flavor to food, but are also used in teas, dyes, fragrances, and medicine. In addition to these interesting facts, Mrs. Faulkner’s science students learned to identify sorrel, nepata, lemon thyme, stevia, and rosemary by making careful observations of each plant. Without knowing the names of the herbs, students collected data about each plant’s smell, taste, leaf size, color, and texture and recorded information on a chart. Fifth graders were eager to taste the herbs and enjoyed comparing the sour acidic taste of sorrel to the sweetness of stevia. Groups were then given description cards with the names of the herbs and challenged to use their data to determine the identity of each. A second day was spent in the Unquowa Garden using data sheets to locate the herbs. Fifth graders moved through the garden rubbing fingers gently on herbs like lemon thyme and rosemary to discern the smell and looking for the fuzzy heart-shaped leaves of nepata. Well done, fifth graders, for your keen observations and an impressive job identifying herbs in our garden.