DIXFIELD — Nathan Cloutier loves to garden and take part in many fun activities at Dirigo  Middle School.

He loves gardening so much, that he nearly single-handedly planted two raised gardening beds in front of the school before classes let out for the summer.

Now, he is part of the Western Maine Kids Association summer fun camp.

He and several other middle school students were busy planting and replanting the school garden behind the tennis courts Wednesday morning.

“I help my mom plant the gardens at home. I like nature and getting outside,” Nathan said.

Gardening is just one of many activities middle school participants can take part in three mornings at week at the school, says coordinator Kim Dailey.

Youngsters also have a chance to learn how to cook healthy meals, create whimsical tiny houses from wood, paint and many other things.

Dailey leads the gardening project. Volunteers from the community teach cooking, woodworking, painting and other activities.

The summer fun program at the middle school takes place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Children receive a free breakfast and lunch and transportation. The cost for each day is $10, with all three days each week costing $25.

The free breakfasts and lunches are also available for any child in the RSU 10 district.

Youngsters can sign up at any time to take part by calling Dailey at 357-5473, or by emailing him at [email protected]

Wednesday was the second day of the first week of the four-week program.

Children were busy planting beans, lettuce, pumpkins, and other vegetables. Dailey said the first plantings were pretty much destroyed during the heavy rains a couple of weeks ago. Pumpkins, he said, will be covered in September so they may grow for several more weeks.

Then they will become a part of the after school program when participants can carve them, he said.

Some of the vegetables will be used in cooking classes.

Dominique Diorio, who will enter middle school in the fall, is looking forward to learning to cook. Kyle Morrison, who will enter eighth-grade, thinks it’s pretty cool to get outdoors.

“I like learning how to plant,” he said.

Dailey said the school’s industrial arts class built three compost bins which will be used by the summer and after school programs.

Some seeds were donated. Other money needed for the garden, for the wood to build the bins, and to pay for other activities came from selling wholesale-priced seeds to staff and parents at the school.