Children’s Garden Program 2009
Lister Donley Memorial Garden
6th St. S., Estelline SD
Horizons program offers children in grades 3-6 the opportunity to participate in hands-on gardening and educational programs to be held at the community garden Thursday mornings 9-11 am, followed by sharing time for siblings and adults until 11:45.
Each child will have their own small plot, place seeds and started plants under direction, make observations and journal with assistance, and harvest and consume or share produce grown. Additional presentations on nutrition, food safety, literature, math, and art will be included.
Costs are covered by grants and generous donations; the lessons are provided by volunteers and Cooperative Extension Personnel.
The first session will take place Thursday, May 21st. Children should return the sign-up sheet to the school on or before May 14th. You may direct questions to Linda Svec, Program Director at 873-2651 or Kelli Schnaidt, Activity Coordinator at 873-2909. Children who participated last year are eligible and would be an excellent source of information on what to expect of this opportunity.
Please notice clothing and personal care materials are a responsibility of the child. Sandals are not acceptable footwear due to hazardous metal and glass fragments in the soil.
We will be placing a large tarp (mulch to limit weed growth) on the first day, and would appreciate adult help in placing heavy items to hold the tarp down on the soil surface. Each child should bring a bucket with weights (bricks, rocks, cans of dirt, whatever) to set on each of 3 more corners of their plot - these items can be decorated to delineate their space as they like. These 4 weights are the only thing the child will be expected to provide in the garden, and to remove at the clean up time near October.
Children will be responsible for watering their plot as necessary; hoses with spray ends are provided. Each time tools are used they will be returned to storage (which means coiled and hung up for the hoses).
Who else is involved? Master Gardeners Mary Buckmiller, Karl Schmidt, Dawn TeKrony; Extension Educators Sandra Namken, Laurie Tangen, and Don Guthmiller; Dietician Sharon Klosterman; Gardener and Artist Roger Wermers; Creative writer Lillian Misar; Teachers Kristi Hollenbeck and Cynthia Johnson
Lessons will be given at the shelter or under the tree near the plots.
We hope you can take part.
Horizons program thanks the Northwest Area Foundation for our primary financial support, and Continuing Extension Service and 4-H Foundation and anonymous donors for ongoing contributions. Please patronize the Horizons vendor booth at the Estelline Farmers’ Market, Thursday s 4-7 pm. Excess produce and volunteer assistance is welcome there as well as recycled canning jars, serviceable used T shirts and long-sleeved sweatshirts, and donations to our proposed commercial kitchen.
Our mission; reduce poverty.