The elementary school that my daughter will be starting to go to in the fall has a garden that they use to teach kids about plant life cycles, farming, harvesting, and healthy eating habits. I volunteered my time to help the program and today with the help of a guy from a "backyard farmer co-op" I got to teach two 1st grade classes, two 3rd grade classes, and two 5th grade classes about gardening.
Between all of the classes we built 6 raised beds, filled with soil and amended with mushroom compost, planted and watered in pumpkins,tomatoes, basil, spinach, strawberries, squash and a few other things. Then the last class watered them in and mulched the beds with straw. They all learned about water conservation, composting, root systems, etc. It was a really fun day!
I don't think that there is much in life that could be more important than that, Jeff.
The children's experiences will likely make a lasting impression on them. They are learning all of those things at an age when their lives are just starting out.
Learning healthy eating habits isn't an accident and how food production fits together in nature is very important knowledge. Good for you!
Steve
The children's experiences will likely make a lasting impression on them. They are learning all of those things at an age when their lives are just starting out.
Learning healthy eating habits isn't an accident and how food production fits together in nature is very important knowledge. Good for you!
Steve
Thanks! It was a blast for everyone I think.
I won't lie, I kinda hope my kids blow 'em away when they go in there and show em what they know about a garden lol.
It's funny, going in I really thought the 1st graders were gonna be the handful. Boy was I wrong! They took directions so well! The fifth graders, well, they were more of a handful. They were really only thinking about graduating in 2 weeks and making manure ("dookie") jokes.
That's kids for ya I guess.
I won't lie, I kinda hope my kids blow 'em away when they go in there and show em what they know about a garden lol.
It's funny, going in I really thought the 1st graders were gonna be the handful. Boy was I wrong! They took directions so well! The fifth graders, well, they were more of a handful. They were really only thinking about graduating in 2 weeks and making manure ("dookie") jokes.
That's kids for ya I guess.
I think that's great ... we need to expose children (and parents) to healthy gardens as often as possible.
I've been seeing TV commercials for a while now, for a buffett restaurant that advertises a "chocolate waterfall". Today, I saw their new commercial that said (from memory, so the wording is not exact)... "now, we not only have the chocolate waterfall, but Cotton Candy too !!!"
What the heck is the world coming to when the "most appealing" things a restaurant can advertise is a chocolate waterfall and cotton candy???
Obesity crisis... what obesity crisis???
Just seeing that junk "food" on the TV made me want to puke!
I've been seeing TV commercials for a while now, for a buffett restaurant that advertises a "chocolate waterfall". Today, I saw their new commercial that said (from memory, so the wording is not exact)... "now, we not only have the chocolate waterfall, but Cotton Candy too !!!"
What the heck is the world coming to when the "most appealing" things a restaurant can advertise is a chocolate waterfall and cotton candy???
Obesity crisis... what obesity crisis???
Just seeing that junk "food" on the TV made me want to puke!
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DownriverGardener
- Senior Member
- Posts: 121
- Joined: Tue Jun 12, 2012 2:41 pm
- Location: Zone 5B
absurdity at it's finest.farmerlon wrote:I think that's great ... we need to expose children (and parents) to healthy gardens as often as possible.
I've been seeing TV commercials for a while now, for a buffett restaurant that advertises a "chocolate waterfall". Today, I saw their new commercial that said (from memory, so the wording is not exact)... "now, we not only have the chocolate waterfall, but Cotton Candy too !!!"
What the heck is the world coming to when the "most appealing" things a restaurant can advertise is a chocolate waterfall and cotton candy???
Obesity crisis... what obesity crisis???
Just seeing that junk "food" on the TV made me want to puke!
My decision to make a garden this year is party due to my own wanting for having a green thumb, but also because I have a two year old daughter, and this is my family's first year doing a veggie garden. She loves to come outside with me and play and dig in the dirt while I garden. She doesn't exactly understand fully what's going on since she's only two, but I think she is catching the drift. The other day she pointed at a few of my tomato fruits and said "Daddy's tomatoes". It was extremely cute. Trying my best to teach her young! The sad thing is, society teaches children that video games, TV, and bad food is "cool". I hope I make a differing impact on my baby girl
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PunkRotten
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1989
- Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:48 pm
- Location: Monterey, CA.
She'll start getting it!DownriverGardener wrote:My decision to make a garden this year is party due to my own wanting for having a green thumb, but also because I have a two year old daughter, and this is my family's first year doing a veggie garden. She loves to come outside with me and play and dig in the dirt while I garden. She doesn't exactly understand fully what's going on since she's only two, but I think she is catching the drift. The other day she pointed at a few of my tomato fruits and said "Daddy's tomatoes". It was extremely cute. Trying my best to teach her young! The sad thing is, society teaches children that video games, TV, and bad food is "cool". I hope I make a differing impact on my baby girl
By the time they're nearing 3 they start really understanding what parts of the garden they can eat. And by 4 they start asking a LOT of questions about how to garden. Just start (if you don't already) sort of explaining everything you are doing in the garden. You'd be surprised how much they pick up. You don't have to use "kid terms" either. I was so surprised the other day when my 4 year old busted out with "microorganisms" ...it just goes to show, they can use and understand bigger words too if you explain it. So I stopped describing them as little teeny tiny bugs, and just called them what they were.
It's so nice to be outside with your kids instead of inside stuck in front of the TV. If she doesn't already, soon she'll be begging you to go into the garden as soon as you pull into the driveway! It never fails at my house.
And it's a really really really good thing. Time spent with the kid/kids, outside time, exercise, fresh air, bonding, eco-literacy...you just can't beat it.