BARD COLLEGE COMMUNITY GARDEN OFFERS POPULAR FREE CHILDREN'S GARDENING PROGRAM FOR FOURTH YEAR
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.--The Bard College Community Garden will again offer the free children's gardening program this summer. The program is open to children ages 3 through 12. One five-week session will be given, from Tuesday, July 30, to Friday, August 30. Children will be divided into four age groups during the session: KinderGardeners, Green Thumbs, Earth Movers, and Community Farmers. Each group is limited to six participants, with no charge. Preregistration is required.
In 1997, the Community Garden was created to bring together members of the Bard and surrounding communities in order to cooperatively grow and share healthy, organic produce. The garden also serves as a laboratory where sustainable agricultural methods are employed and tested.
Through interactive games, arts, crafts, and demonstrations, participants in the children's gardening program at Bard will learn about the many creatures and ecological processes that help a garden grow. Each week the children will also bring home fresh organically grown flowers and vegetables. Participants in the children's gardening program, their families, as well as other community members, are welcome to attend the weekly potluck dinners on Wednesday evenings from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the garden and bring home portions of the harvest.
KinderGardeners, ages 3 and 4, will meet on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children. KinderGardeners will explore the garden through scavenger hunts, games, songs, craft projects, and work activities.
Green Thumbs, ages 5 and 6, will meet on Thursdays from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Parents are encouraged to accompany their children. Participants will explore the garden through games, arts, crafts, and songs. In addition they will work as a team to plant and maintain the vegetables and flowers in the garden.
Earth Movers, ages 7 and 8, will meet on Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. They will plant and manage the garden as a group, learning about the roles played by a myriad of plants and animals in the garden foodweb. Simple demonstrations and experiments will be used to demonstrate ecological processes. Earth Movers will also participate in creative and artistic activities.
Community Farmers, ages 9 to 12, will meet on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Through working in the garden, participants will gain a more in-depth understanding of how farmers work with the biological community in order to produce a healthy and bountiful garden. In turn, they will explore the role of farming in society. Each Community Farmer will undertake an individual project, whether it be scientific, creative, or research-oriented, which he or she will present at the end of the session.
The Community Garden at Bard is a part of the Trustee Leader Scholar (TLS) Program, which provides an opportunity for Bard students to experiment with and refine personal leadership styles and learn how to operate effectively in the world. Students are selected for their demonstrated excellence in academics and leadership. All of them are engaged in specific world-changing projects for the duration of their college years. The primary mission of the program is the development of passionate, able, effective adults who will make a lifelong difference in the greater social fabric.
Two seniors and Trustee Leader Scholars at Bard will be involved with the Community Garden this year. Leith Nye, who is studying biology and environmental studies, will facilitate the classes. Sam Lucey will be the garden caretaker this summer.
For further information and to register for a summer session or special program in the Community Garden at Bard College, call Sam Lucey at 845-758-5823.
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