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Volume
13, Number 2, Fall 2002
Flowers,
veggies and learning a-bloomin’
By Cheryl Howell
 In
the far north corner of Walnut Elementary School’s playing
field is a wooden picket fence portioning off what looks to
be a 3-foot by 16-foot garden plot. Throughout the garden
are hand-painted wooden signs declaring in bright, kid-drawn
images and words the species of each plant. At one end is
a compost heap. At the other end, a hand-crafted weather charting
station.
The garden
is planted with watermelon, cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, peas
and lots of flowers. It is the work of Lansing’s Walnut
Elementary School 4-H Garden Club, which meets every Tuesday
afternoon during the summer for two hours of gardening, learning,
snacking and playing.
"Try
it, really, it’s really sweet,” urges Ashley Emens,
11, who left Walnut School to go to Otto Middle School for
sixth grade this fall. She is weeding and tasting her pickings
as she goes along the row of vegetables. “My mom does
a lot of gardening, so I thought maybe they would have some
tips my mom might need.”
Ashley
says her mom already knew a lot of the gardening tips shared
in the Ingham County 4-H Garden Club program, but that hasn’t
stopped Ashley from coming to club meetings every Tuesday.
"I
really have a lot of fun,” she says. “And, it
can help you in your life when you get older. You can save
money, you can grow your own stuff, and if you really need
food, you can just go out and get it!”
The Ingham
County 4-H gardening program is offered at five elementary
schools and four middle schools throughout Lansing and surrounding
communities. The program is a partnership between Ingham County
MSU Extension and the Lansing School District's 21st Century
Community Learning Centers. Ashley can continue her 4-H Garden
Club involvement at Otto Middle School this fall.
The Ingham
County 4-H gardening program was started with the work and
leadership of Lisa Nassar, Ingham County 4-H agent and Stephanie
Cluley. They went from programming at one school to programming
at nine. The summer program is staffed by paid and volunteer
leaders who travel weekly to the various school sites for
two-hour club meetings at each location.
Leslie
Booren, an Ingham County 4-H alumnus and college student in
St. Paul, Minnesota, came home for the summer and staffed
the garden clubs with the help of volunteers and other paid
summer staff members.
She says
each club meeting includes time in the garden working with
and nurturing the plants; a lesson on plant science, nutrition
and weather patterns; a communication activity that always
includes journal writing and often involves some use of technology—computers,
video, navigation equipment—to learn more about plants;
and a hands-on healthy snack preparation.
"I
really love gardens,” said Maya Ross, age 9. “I
even have one of my own. We’re getting ready to grow
some herbs. We have flowers, but we need to do some weeding
so we can do more planting.”
Maya is
also hoping to craft a weather station similar to that at
the Walnut garden for her garden at home.
"You
should keep track of the weather so that you can take care
of your plants right,” she said.
This club meeting ended with a snack of oven-roasted tortilla
chips with salsa and broccoli dip chopped and mixed by the
club members.
"We
try to make the connection that what they are doing in the
garden comes back to them in the food they eat,” Booren
said.
The 4-H
garden clubs at each of the nine sites will continue through
the school year, with each school holding a harvest party
this fall.
Cheryl
Howell is the 4-H information officer at Michigan State University.
Copyright
© 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Michigan State University
Last Updated: January 10, 2005
Last Reviewed: February 7, 2003
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Guide
to Michigan 4-H
