Saturday, July 27, 2013

Day 1 of AHS Children, Youth and Gardening Symposium
July 11. 2013
Insect census underway in the cool morning
Over 200 people are here, teachers from public and private schools, nature center and botanic garden educators, writers and artists, university professors, retired professionals and volunteers. We met a volunteer for the Denver Botanical Garden who grew up in Frankford and Mayfield and who still has relatives living on Ramona Street and a storyteller from Jonesborough, TN who grew up in Conshohocken!
Skunkbush Sumac
We were delighted to see Pam Hosimer, our new old friend/environmental educator from Maryland, who will join us for our three-day gathering in August.  And, of course, Jane Taylor, illustrious alum of Frankford Friends School, retired horticulturalist at Michigan State University and founder of the 4-H Children's Garden at MSU, now living in Maine, is here in all her energy and glory.  (Jane loves telling people I'm "her principal," as well as how much she adored the school!)
kitchen gardens

We had some time before the workshops began to tour part of the immense and absolutely beautiful Denver Botanical Garden, including a natural Ponderosa Pine trail, a woodland garden, a desert garden and, finally, the Japanese Garden.  What struck me about that particular garden is that, while the structure is definitely Asian, all the plant material is native.  Ponderosa Pines have been sculpted to look like trees from Japan, and all the bushes are trimmed annually to maintain a dome shape to remind the visitor of boulders.  There's a tea house and a new bonsai walk, all very peaceful and lovely.

pondorosa pine

Japanese garden with pond
Workshops today included one about Washington DC's new program to connect the 93 public schools that have gardening programs and to create a network of School Garden Coordinators, using municipal funds.  The Coordinators meet for professional development and mutual support once a month, and less-advantaged schools can apply for grants of approximately $10,000 per school, all paid for by a tax on carbonated drinks!  (Read this and weep, Philadelphia!)

Another workshop, led by the programming director for the Hersey Children's Garden, described their natural play space and the many programs they have for families, camp and school groups and "drop-ins" throughout the year.  Using interns and volunteers, the garden sees up to 8,000 children a month in the summer, giving them the opportunity to explore the natural environment. 
a formal area
Beth Cerannon, program director of the Bookworm Garden in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, shared a wide range of cheap arts and environmental activities, all directly related to books.  She sees approximately 6,000 children each year and has a program budget of just $1,000! 
After lunch, University of Colorado professor Louise Chawla provided an overview of the mounting research supporting the importance of children's having easy and regular access to "nearby nature."  Her emphasis was on how this access strengthens children's ability to overcome adversity, lower stress levels, maintain focus and become the future protectors of the earth.  As she said, "What's good for adults is good for children, and what's good for children is good for the planet."  A compilation of that research is available on the AHS website (www.ahs.org)


looking out (from the shade) into the fields

Even the rabbit was hot!


The day ended with a trip to Chadwick, Denver Botanical Gardens Farm, just outside of the city in the foothills of the Rockies.  It was not a day for a leisurely stroll around the gardens as the temperature hit 102 degrees, but we did have plenty of time to sit in the shade, listen to some bluegrass music and talk with people from all over the country who share our passion for gardening with kids.  What better way to end our first day!