Kids Day

This afternoon was another Kids Day at the WFG Grafton demonstration garden. We had six 4-6 year olds participating, and everyone, both kids and parents, learned a thing or two about how food grows!

From the kids' perspective, I think by far the most exciting activity was pulling WEEDS! We actually had to form a line halfway through the weeding event, so that when I said, "I found another weed!" the whole group wouldn't come barrelling over at once, yelling, "Where?!!" and in exuberant eagerness, unknowingly trample each other and all the vegetable beds en route to that single weed.

Besides weeding the garden, we learned the basic requirements for plant growth above and below ground, we mulched and tied tomatoes (see Tomatoes!!!), and we harvested lettuce, green beans, turnips, cherry tomatoes, kale, cilantro and one cucumber. We also planted a mango seed to see if it will grow a mango tree!

The parents and I discussed methods of making compost, how to trim basil plants to keep them productive, and we were all fascinated by our discussion on how potatoes grow, why we hill/mulch them, and why the potato plants are currently growing tomato-like fruits on the them.

One of my favorite moments from today's Kids Day was right at the end, when we were heading inside for snacks. One of the little girls saw something she had missed, turned to look up at me, and with wonder in her eyes and utter amazement in her voice, whispered, "Is this a cabbage?" There's nothing that makes my job more worthwhile than a child discovering that those round green things we see in the grocery store actually, and amazingly, grow straight from the center of a giant, green plant with humongous, waxy leaves. It was absolutely precious!