The American Heart Association will donate a teaching garden to the school in Norwood Park. View Full Caption American Heart Association

NORWOOD PARK — If you've got a green thumb, Oriole Park Elementary School could use some help planting its new teaching garden.

The garden, donated by the American Heart Association, will allow students at Oriole Park Elementary School, 5424 N. Oketo Ave., to observe the life cycle of plants and sample the fruits and vegetables they will grow, officials said.

The soil and wood for the garden is set to be delivered Thursday, with the construction of the garden scheduled to take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. The first plants are expected to be plunged into the dirt on May 22, and the garden will be dedicated at 5:30 p.m. May 26 during the school's celebration of the fine arts, officials said.

The program is designed to educate students about nutrition and how fruits and vegetables grow in an attempt to inspire them to make healthy choices, officials said.

In addition to volunteers, school officials are looking for donations of large stepping stones that will be painted on Saturday as well as mosaic stones made by school families and donated to the garden. The garden also needs a compost bin as well as a shed or storage bin, officials said.

Those who want to help build the garden Saturday can sign up online or email Julie Fehler-Render at juliefehler@gmail.com.

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