PLANT
& TR
Rewards
Partners talk about the different shapes and sizes of seeds; they soak their plots and plant according to their plans. Experienced gardeners share plants from their home gardens.
ANS PLA N
• Active play outside that lasts all summer long. • Tasty fresh produce like tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, lettuce and spinach for meals and snacks. • Garden beauty. Sunflowers tower above cucumber and tomato plants, gracing the alley behind The Simple Room.
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• Thriving relationships as volunteers and children work side by side. • Desire to share the joy. Last summer, a trio of siblings eagerly gobbled up ripe tomatoes from the garden, left quickly and then returned with their mother so she could see and taste what they had grown.
NURTURE
Experienced gardeners help novices distinguish sprouts from weeds. Together, the gardeners mulch, water and weed repeatedly.
4 TH W O GR
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Youngsters watch their gardens abound with fruits and vegetables; they grow, too, as part of a community of gardeners who work together and help each other.
Research shows that children who garden are more apt to: • Score higher on science achievement tests • Understand their connection to food sources • Care for the environment • Continue gardening when they are older • Make healthy food choices
THE RECORD | SPRING 2014
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