Gardeneers

I was going to write about my flea market finds but I think I'd rather talk about my latest project known as "The Gardeneers".  Gardeneers is a childrens gardening program offered by the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden Society, of which I am a volunteer.  It is just one of the projects I am involved in.  Gardeneers started last year and I was one of the original program designers, along with five other women.  Our goal is to connect children to nature.  There are 20 children enrolled in the program which runs throughout July, every Tuesday morning.  Last year was a great success but this year we have been able to fine tune it and I am confident that it is going to be even  better.  We have a different theme for each week. Week one - Seed planting, week 2 - Botanic garden critters, week 3 - making compost and whats in the soil, week four - all about trees.   I am responsible for week one and this is what I have planned. Upon arrival the children get a seed kit which includes a packet of seeds of different kinds so they can see how diverse seeds are.  The class begins with a look at seeds and how they grow.  I have set up a demonstration that shows what a seed looks like from the time it is planted to when it starts to grow.  I did this by planting a seed everyday for a week so you can see the stages of growth.  Next  we open our seed packets and look at the different kinds.  Some of the seeds get planted into peat pots to take home. The bean and sunflower seeds get planted in the vegetable garden.  . After we look at seeds we go out into the garden for some planting time. Each week we return to the garden to see the growth, pull weeds and water the plot.  This is followed by a snack and story.  This weeks story is Strega Nonna as it fits in well with our theme of growing food and sharing it with others.  After snack we are building a bug hotel.  It consists of a bench with some flowers pots.  During our nature walk around the garden the kids pick up objects that are to be placed on the bench for bugs to move into, such as logs, sticks, leaves, and rocks.  Each week we get to see which bugs have decided to move in.  At the end of the session we get into some plant and bug art which we hope to display at the harvest festival in September.  And that is my day.  It does take a lot of work and it is all volunteer but it is so much more rewarding than a paycheck.  It is my way of addressing my concerns about the future of our planet.  My goal is to connect kids to nature so that they know what is is they are looking after in the future.  My question is "How will they care about the earth if they don't know what it is?"  We don't talk about the doom and gloom of the planet.  We simply involve kids in activities that show them how to have fun while interacting with nature.  It is my hope that my sons generation won't know any other way to live other than responsibly and with sensitivity to their environment.  www.coastbotanicalgarden.org

Don't forget to read my articles in the news letter.