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No Tricks Up Our Sleeves, Kids Naturally Love to Garden
For more information, contact Rachel Byington or Nathan Larson at (608)240-0409
8/02/2007
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It's another hot summer day in the middle of the gardening season. The thermometer reads 84 degrees but, with the heat index, it feels like 100. The sun is shining enough to heat granola in a solar oven to 350 degrees. In spite of the heat, the children and plants are blooming. The summer program in the Kids' Garden is in full swing with children from seven community centers and schools from around Madison coming to visit Troy Garden on a weekly basis. There is nothing unusual about today. The children have been working hard and have worked up a sweat. They have planted, watered, dug, transported compost, picked mulberries, visited with the chickens, made a collard greens and green pepper stir-fry, and enjoyed it all.
"Time to go," staff call out. The inevitable has come and it is time for the group to head back to their center. "No, I don't want to go," objects Michael who was a first time visitor to the Kids' Garden. "I want to stay here all day long." Unfortunately, they have to go, it will be time for lunch by the time they get back. "I gotta tell you the truth," Edgar admits to his center's staff, "I like this [collard greens] much more than the sandwiches at the center." With waves and smiles, Troy Garden staff send them off until the next time.
Michael is not the only child who would like to stay. "It's so beautiful here," says Ashayla who was on a visit from another community center, "I wish my home was here." Whether it is the beauty of the garden, the opportunity to care for plants, or the many sweet smells and tastes, kids over and over again express their enjoyment of this place. It's a fact, the Troy Kids' Garden is a place where children can learn, explore, teach, taste, and, with no doubt, love!
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