Growing in the Garden: Kids

Don’t forget plants and gardening just because there is snow covering the ground. There are many fun and educational activities that you can do with plants in your classroom to make the winter months go faster.

Recycle and Reuse. Many of the foods we eat will grow into a new plant after we have consumed the edible portion. Turn last night’s dinner into classroom houseplants or encourage the students to eat healthy fruits and vegetables that will yield the plant parts that can develop and grow into new plants in your classroom. According to Millicent Selsam and Deborah Peterson, authors of The Don’t Throw it Grow It Book of Houseplants (Random House. 1977. ISBN: 0394733088), the tops, seeds, and roots of many fresh fruits and vegetables will sprout and re-grow. This is an excellent opportunity to teach the children about plant parts and their function in the plant.

Avocado. Some of your student may not be familiar with an avocado. Select a soft, ripe avocado. Peel it and spread on saltine crackers and have them sample it. Show the children the size of the seed inside the fruit. The large size may surprise them. Wash the pit to remove the brown papery skin and any flesh residue. Poke three toothpicks evenly around the middle (equator) of the pit. Use those tooth picks to support the pit on the rim of a clear glass or plastic cup with the pointed end up. Fill the water so that the bottom third of the pit is covered in water. Place the clear glass in a bright, warm location, but out of direct sun. Change the water once a week. In a few weeks, the pit will split open, the roots will grow out the bottom, and a shoot will emerge from the top.

Sweet potato. Select a healthy sweet potato tuber, preferable one from a local gardener or one in which you can see some buds. Sometimes they are treated to prevent sprouting. Stick three toothpicks around the middle of the tuber and support them on the rim of a clear glass or plastic cup with the plumper or rounded side of the tuber facing up. Fill the glass with water so that the bottom of the tuber is in water. Change the water weekly and replenish what evaporates. The roots will develop on the tapering bottom end of the tuber and the stem and leaf buds develop at the top.

Carrot. Select fresh, large-sized carrots (not “baby” carrots) for this activity. Do not use those that are sold with the tops still on them. Remove the top two inches of the root (carrot) and enjoy eating the rest. Put a one-inch layer of pebbles or pea gravel in a saucer. Place the carrots on top of the gravel, cut-side down, and add more pebbles to hold them in place, leaving about an inch or two of the carrot root exposed above the pebbles. Space the carrots about two inches apart in the saucer. Add water to the top of the pebbles and maintain that water level at all times. The carrots will develop feathery green leaves that grow out the tops. They do not grow roots.

From the tomato patch I heard an excited voice yell, "Come and see this!" Eight-year-old Sarah had just made a new discovery. Down below the foliage on top of the grass clipping mulch was what appeared to her to be a small bird's nest. Everyone came running. What she had found was "bird's nest fungi" that does resemble a very tiny bird's nest with eggs in it. We don't often see it because it is so small and most adult gardeners don't look that close to find these fascinating things. We are usually in too big of a hurry to get the garden chores done and don't take time to see the special things in nature. Discoveries like Sarah's are not unusual in youth gardening programs. Children see things that we take for granted or overlook. That is why I believe adults gain as much from gardening with children as the children do about learning to grow plants. They open our eyes and renew our fascination in the natural world.

I have found that children's gardening programs grow much more than sunflowers, tomatoes and zinnias. It is an excellent classroom. The garden is an environment where children can be taught many subject areas. Even preschool-aged children learn in the garden. It is multisensory and has real-world application of many science skills. It stimulates their creativity as many writers, poets and authors are inspired by their natural surroundings. A child who gardens learns life's important lessons, including nurturing, respect, success, failure, appreciation for beauty and cooperation. These lessons are not learned sitting by themselves behind the screen of a video game.

Many children today do not know the origin their food, even children raised in the Midwest where agriculture is the leading industry. They go to the grocery store and find their food in the produce cooler, in jars or cans, or in the freezer case. A few generations ago, children gardened with parents or grandparents out of necessity to put food on the table. Unfortunately, this family activity rarely takes place today because the necessity may not exist. Many parents have little experience or knowledge about gardening or the family is too busy to take the time. Children have become disconnected from the land. Children need to learn and experience that soil is essential to all life - as essential as air, water, and sunlight. Gardening is a way to teach that connection and the importance of conserving our valuable natural resources. When these values are learned at a young age these children will become informed decision-makers as adults.

There are several opportunities to teach about the land and food in school classrooms and after-school programs. One particular curriculum for students in kindergarten through third grade is "Growing in the Garden." It was developed as a component of the Extension 21 Food, Fiber, and Environmental Science Program through Iowa State University Extension 4-H Youth Development. It has been taught to nearly 2,500 teachers and other educators throughout Iowa and has the potential to reach more than 30,000 children. Its goal is to "grow curiosity about agriculture, natural resources, food and people" around a gardening theme. It contains lessons for in-school instruction and out-of-school programs. The National Gardening Association recently recognized it as one of the top school gardening programs in the country. For more information on this exciting, hand-on curriculum see the Web site at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/GrowingintheGarden.

Parks, conservation programs, arboretums and botanical gardens throughout Iowa offer garden-related programs for youth. Contact them to learn more about their youth education programs. Gardening is a life skill that can develop into life-long hobby, passion or career. It is currently American adults favorite outdoor leisure activity. With a little encouragement, children also will enjoy the value and pleasure of working the land.

Garden-based education comes to life when you make connections with local resources. Who knows better about gardening and farming in your area than the people that are actually doing it? Besides farmers, gardeners, businesses such as banks and retail stores, museums, chamber of commerce offices, here are some other valuable Iowa resources. If you know of another Iowa resource similar to the ones below, please send the information to Janet Anderson at gitg@iastate.edu.

Ag-in-the-Classroom
County Iowa Farm Bureau Offices
Educational programs and classroom guests are available
to tell the agriculture story in your area

Bellvue State Park (Butterfly garden)
Contact Information
21466 429th Avenue
Bellevue, IA 52031
ph. 563/872-4019
fax: 563/872-4773
Bellevue@dnr.state.ia.us
http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/organiza/ppd/bellevue.htm

Bickelhaupt Arboretum
340 South 14th Street
Clinton, Iowa 52732-5432
563) 242-4771
Fax: (563) 243-0392
http://www.bickarb.org/p/arboretum.html
Grounds are open from dawn to dusk; free admission

Brenton Arboretum
2629 Palo Circle
Dallas Center, IA 50063
Phone: 515-992-4211
Fax: 515-992-3303
Email: brentonarboretum@aol.com
http://www.brentonarboretum.com
Hours of Operation: Wednesday through Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or sunset. Closed the month of January.

Cedar Valley Arboretum
1927 East Orange Road
Waterloo, IA 50704
No admission fees
(319) 226-4966
Email: gardens@cedarnet.org
http://www.cedarnet.org/gardens/
Sat. 8am-noon
Tues. 10am - 2pm
Sun. noon-4pm

Des Moines Botanical Center
909 East River Drive
Des Moines, IA 50316
515-323-8900
http://www.botanicalcenter.com
Mon. - Thurs. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Sat - Sun. 10 am - 5 p.m.
Admission: Adult: $2; Senior: $1; Kids 6-14: $1; Kids under 6 free

Dubuque Arboretum
3800 Arboretum Drive
Dubuque, IA 52001
Phone: (563) 556-2100
Fax: (563) 556-2443
Hours: May 1 to Oct. 31, 8 am to dusk, seven days a week. Nov. 1 to May 1, 9 am to 5 pm, Sat 9 am to 1 pm, closed Sunday Nov 1 to May 1.
Closed holidays.

Iowa Arboretum
1875 Peach Avenue
Madrid, IA 50156
Phone: (515) 795-3216
FAX: (515) 795-2619
E-Mail: arbiowa@iowatelecom.net
http://www.iowaarboretum.com
Ground hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Admission: Adults - $2:00
Children under 12 - Free
Guided tours available by appointment Cost $2.00 extra per person)

Iowa Commodity Organizations
Go to the Garden Links page on this website
The organizations have educational programs, videos, materials, and websites.

Iowa State University Extension
4-H Youth Programs for in-school and after-school use
Master Gardener program
Master Gardeners are trained individuals who assist county extension staff with horticulture programs.
For a location and phone number of your local county extension office, go to http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Counties/state.html

Lauritzen Gardens
100 Bancroft Street
Omaha, NE 68108
Phone: 402-346-4002
http://www.omahabotanicalgardens.org
Open daily 9-5 except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day
Adults: $5.00: Children ages 6-12: $3.00:Free for children under 6

Living History Farms
2600 111^th Street
Urbandale, IA 50322
Phone: 515-278-5286
http://www.lhf.org/educ.html
Special events during the winter, educational programs year round.

Reiman Gardens
1407 Elwood Drive
Ames, IA 50014
515-294-2710
http://www.reimangardens.iastate.edu
youth education information: contact Linda Naeve at lnaeve@iastate.edu
Hours: Daily except holidays: 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Butterfly flight house and Conservatory are closed on Mondays)
Admission: Adults: $5: Seniors: $4.50; Children 7 - 18: $2; under 7: free
Tours for youth groups: $3/child; chaperones (up to 4 per group: free

Seed Savers Exchange
3076 North Winn Road
Decorah, Iowa 52101
Phone: 563-382-5990
Fax: 563-382-5872

Vander Veer Botanical Park
215 Central Park
Davenport, IA 52803
(563) 326-7818
http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/leisure/parks/botanical.htm
Conservatory hours are 10AM to 4PM Tuesday through Sunday. A minimal admission fee is charged for adults; children under 12 are admitted free. Admission on Tuesdays is free.

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