Remember the first time youfelt the joy of digging in the dirt, making a home for a tiny plant andnurturing it into a full-grown leafy donor of juicy, delicious veggies? A group of children at the Mount SaintVincent Home is doing just that. Though they range from only 3 to 5 years old, as pre-schoolers they’vealready been taught the basics.
Every Wednesday afternoon asmall group of Colorado Master Gardeners gets the pleasure of spending an hour withthese children. To make the mostof their perpetual physical and mental motion, the first half of the session isspent with hand-on activities in the garden. The dozen or so children share activities such as planting,weeding, watering, and even tasting the end products… all the while indirectlysoaking in a bit of Gardening 101. Just as these little gardeners start wandering away from the duties athand, or giving in to the overwhelming temptation of spraying their classmates,we quickly transition back into the classroom. After regrouping, we typically read a story or teach a shortlesson on topics such as plant parts, composting, and insects. The lesson then wraps up with arelevant hands-on project favorite such as starting seeds in egg cartons,decorating wooden insects, and making insects out of actual fruits andvegetables.
The Mount Saint Vincent Homeis pleased with the work that Colorado Master Gardeners have done this season and looksto expand involvement next season.
If you are interested inhelping to grow a new generation of Colorado gardeners, please stay tuned formore information on how you can help starting next spring!
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