What do tomatoes, watermelons, marigolds and earthworms all have in common?

Just ask students at Towamensing Elementary, who learned firsthand as they recently celebrated literacy and Children's Book Week with a slew of activities.The theme was Read, Learn, Grow, and students did just that through a series of activities.There was Marigold Monday, which featured assemblies for grades one to three, as well as kindergarten and four to six. That was followed by "Buddy Reading," where younger and older students partnered up to read.Tomato Tuesday featured guest readers throughout the day, while Watermelon Wednesday saw students in grades K-3 plant marigold seeds with assistance from Georgia Farrow, Carbon County 4-H agent in the Penn State extension office.Earthworm Thursday included activities, while Forget-Me-Not Friday included guest readers for kindergartners.The educational activities served dual purposes, according to Kathryn Malay, reading specialist."We're emphasizing gardening, growing and reading following directions," Malay said.