What’s more fun for kids than digging around in the dirt? The only thing that can top that for some children is making it a part of the school curriculum like it is at Seton Catholic School.

Nestled into a tiny corner of the back side of the building is a quaint little garden. But it’s not just your typical plot. All of the plants are functional year-round, providing food for a host of animals including birds, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels and butterflies.

The garden was recently declared a National Wildlife Habitat, and through a collaborated effort with Allegheny College, the little haven will soon experience a growth spurt, much like the fifth-graders who are in charge of its care.

At the helm of the expansion project is Ali Trunzo, an environmental studies student at Allegheny College.

“I think that this project provides children with a unique, hands-on, exploratory learning opportunity that I never had as a child,” Trunzo said. “It fosters learning and encourages students to care about nature, the environment and even each other.”

The project just sort of “fell into” Trunzo’s lap following a conversation with Richard Bowden, a professor of environmental science at Allegheny College. Bowden said he needed someone he could “count on.”

“There’s a great deal of collaboration necessary in this project,” Bowden said. “And one day I was talking to Ali and I said, ‘Boy — do I have a project for you!’ ”

In addition to Allegheny College, Seton Catholic School is also partnering with Ernst Conservation Seeds and the Presque Isle Audobon Society to transform a barren spot of land to a place where there will soon be flowers and a place where animals will thrive. The project is funded through private donations.

“The new area will feature native wildflowers which will serve as a source of pollinators for hummingbirds and hummingbird moths, as well as all kinds of “good” insects.” Bowden said. “The flower garden will also provide a varied food source for different animals, and, besides all of that, they will just beautiful to look at!”

Marcia Carone, the fifth-grade teacher at Seton who began the project about 10 years ago, is really excited at the prospect of having an even bigger living laboratory of natural science so accessible to her students. She and “last year’s garden caregivers,” who are now sixth-grade students, have been showing the ropes to the incoming fifth-grade students.

Adena Bowden, 11, a sixth-grade student and daughter of Richard Bowden, said she’s ready to pass the torch.

“I’ve been explaining to them (the fifth-grade students) how to make the environment healthy for the birds and other animals,” she said. “By keeping the area clean and free from litter, animals will want to continue staying here.”

She said she also learned to care for the garden from the fifth-grade students who preceded her, and is happy to “pass on that knowledge.”

Trunzo has already begun setting the wheels in motion for the project. In addition to mobilizing volunteers, she has been trying to synchronize the hands and the resources.