Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden

Family Garden Adventures March 27 - October 31, 2004 Upcoming Family Events Today's children are environmentally-conscious and like to get their hands in the dirt! They love to dig holes, and plant seeds, and see what comes up. In Family Garden Adventures, children can explore and discover gardening and nature. Munchy beckons visitors to the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, ponds teeming with life, a flourishing meadow, open-air pavilions, Global Gardens, and rows of garden plots. Every afternoon, Tuesday - Sunday, kids grow their own gardens, till the soil, plant, water, weed, compost, harvest, and make-and-take home crafts. In the Family Garden, kids can touch, smell, and taste herbs that feel like velvet or taste like peppermint. They can chase gorgeous butterflies among meadow blooms, see the Great Pumpkin, and crawl through scarlet runner-bean and morning glory-laden tunnels. Kids compost garden clippings to create good soil, and watch the worm feedings. Ever seen a Chinese bitter melon? What kinds of plants grow in Korea? How did native Americans grow a "Three Sisters" garden? How can a Caribbean garden grow in the Bronx? Find answers to these questions at the Global Gardens, four international gardens found within the Family Garden. In these gardens, volunteers from the Bronx community maintain plots filled with plants from their native countries. These wonderful gardens give children a taste of diverse cultures and show how plants are used as food, medicine, and decoration. This year, we have planned Chinese, Caribbean, Korean, and Native American gardens. Come out to see plants from all over the world in the Global Gardens! Global Garden volunteer Wai Ching Mui plants a representative sampling of Chinese vegetables, flowers, herbs, and some medicinal plants.
Rainy-day activities include creating mosaics out of sunflower seeds, making butterflies and dragonflies that can fly, and making flower pots to then fill with soil. Theme Gardens! Carnival Garden Kitchen Garden Candy Garden Seashore Garden - New! Salsa Garden - New! Sunflower House - New!
	This year at the Family Garden promises to be our best one yet. Remember that in season (March 29 - October 26) the tram stops right at the Family Garden gate, so we hope you will stop by to visit! The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden provides a formal Children's Gardening Program.
	Volunteers Each year, a host of volunteers help garden, teach children, dispense tools, and prepare materials. Interested? Not only do you improve your gardening skills, but you reap many rewards by helping young people.
Photos by Muriel Weinerman and Kay Wheeler