{"id":50323,"date":"2015-06-15T12:16:59","date_gmt":"2015-06-15T16:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.nybg.org\/plant-talk\/?p=50323"},"modified":"2015-06-15T12:20:12","modified_gmt":"2015-06-15T16:20:12","slug":"kids-dig-gardening-at-nybg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2015\/06\/children-2\/kids-dig-gardening-at-nybg\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids Dig Gardening at NYBG"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Planting<\/a>
Gardeners use screens to measure distance between seeds they\u2019re sowing in their garden plots.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a recent misty Saturday morning, I found myself boarding a Garden tram bound for the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden<\/a> along with 96 children enrolled in the Edible Academy\u2019s Children\u2019s Gardening Program<\/a> for Crafters, an opportunity for kids ages six to 12 to experience gardening first-hand and to learn about the science behind plants and food.<\/p>\n

Parents waved as their kids claimed their seats on the tram, one girl quickly asking whether her mom had packed her a change of clothes for later. She had, and told her daughter, \u201cHave fun. Get dirty!\u201d<\/p>\n

The tram pulls away and steers us through low hills and around age-old trees until we arrive at the Family Garden. Eager children disembark and head toward the main garden gates, beyond which they gather with their small groups, divided by age.<\/p>\n

It is in these small groups that they do special activities\u2014learning about Gregor Mendel and plant genetics; writing in field notebooks they bound earlier in the program; and making crafts.
\n<\/p>\n

\"Harvesting<\/a>
A volunteer helps a young gardener harvest heads of lettuce using the \u201ctwo peace sign\u201d method.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a lesson on bees and how they organize their hives, complete with a honey tasting session with honeys made from the nectar of different plants, which creates different flavors. Another group practices completing Punnett squares to learn about genes the plants in their garden plots take on, while a table of kids nearby creates unique artwork using dried beans.<\/p>\n

The groups rotate out into the Garden to tend their very own plots. The Crafters planted these vegetables earlier in the season and get to harvest some of them to take home and enjoy with their families. A teenage volunteer shows a group of younger girls how to harvest whole heads of lettuce\u2014by making two \u201cpeace signs\u201d with your fingers, and using them like levers to wiggle the root out of the ground. Boys sit on their foam garden kneelers in the mud and harvest chives.<\/p>\n

Max Berger-Di Donato, a fourth-grader in Manhattan, has been active in the Children\u2019s Gardening Program for seven years, asking his parents if he could go back again and again since his first year, at age three in the Sprouts Program.<\/p>\n

\"Max\"<\/a>
Max Berger-DiDonato is a seventh-year participant of the Children\u2019s Gardening Program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really interesting because of how things grow and what they need to survive,\u201d Max said.<\/p>\n

Max, who chose to become a vegetarian himself after learning at home where meat comes from, knows exactly where his vegetables come from and how to take care of them, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn there\u2019s a specific way to plant plants; it\u2019s not just putting seeds in the ground and watering,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a specific way for each plant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even at such a young age, Max is aware of the importance of gardening for everyone.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there wasn\u2019t gardening, it would be harder to go out into the wild to search for food,\u201d he said. \u201cPlus, gardening helps the world, and plants help us and the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"In<\/a>
A CGP Crafter works on an organic art project using a variety of dried beans.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a first-time visitor to the program, I\u2019m impressed with Max\u2019s knowledge and enthusiasm. He continues to explain the difference between dirt and soil and why radishes are his favorite to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey grow fast, and they\u2019re good to eat,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting because you\u2019re looking forward to harvesting!\u201d<\/p>\n

Max, whose participation in the Children\u2019s Gardening Program inspired his family to have their own plot in a community garden in the city, doesn\u2019t get tired of gardening, despite all the time spent tending plants.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t wait for the summer Children\u2019s Gardening Program,\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n

The Summer Children\u2019s Gardening Program begins in July. Six-week sessions are available for children ages 3\u20135, and 12-week sessions are available for children 6\u201312. <\/em>Learn more about the program<\/em><\/a>, and register by calling 718.817.8181 or by emailing <\/em>childed@nybg.org<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For young Children’s Gardening Program Crafters, the Family Garden is not only a place of learning, but of fun, empowering activities that bring them back year after year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":183,"featured_media":50333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4133],"tags":[742,4571,339,4225,4640],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/maxbd.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph0lU-d5F","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/183"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50323"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50347,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50323\/revisions\/50347"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}