About 20 kids gathered at Carl Levin Park last Thursday to take part in “Play in the Dirt,” the first of four programs this month designed to help kids learn about gardening while enjoying the outdoors in Harker Heights.
The series is scheduled for every Thursday in June, with the first class aiming to teach participants all about sensory plants and introduce young people to a variety of edible plants.
Each program, hosted by Harker Heights Parks and Recreation in partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Master Gardeners, has a different theme.
“We're grateful to the AgriLife Extension office and the Master Gardeners who gave up their time to help youth learn about the gardens and their role in them,” Outdoor Programs Coordinator Kylie Gomez said Thursday.
The experience also included becoming familiar with the garden plots and the herbs that can be grown for eating or to flavour dishes.
Master Gardener Joyce Lauer and her husband, Chuck Lauer, worked with a number of volunteers to set up tables where children could see, touch, smell and feel the leaves, stems and flowers of about a dozen common herbs. The children's task was to write down the types of herbs they saw. They were then given an identification sheet with a picture and description of each plant and competed to see how many of their guesses they could get right.
Volunteers answered questions and discussed the uses of different plants and herbs, which smells and textures were pleasant and which were not.
Small pots of herbs and plants were placed in the center of the tables and, after a written assignment, the children were tasked with planting them in their community garden plots.
“I like getting my hands dirty,” said 9-year-old Elijah McGinley.
Each child took turns digging the soil with a shovel to make suitable holes to plant in. Afterwards, they were given instructions on how to water the plants, how much, and the amount of sun and shade they need to grow.
“We learned a lot and it was fun,” Brianna Strong, 9, said after the class, as she and other students planted about two dozen different herbs for scent and flavor combinations.
This week's lesson was “Gas-Eating Plants.” Children learned about plants that eat and release gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen.
The June 20 class is titled “Grow Your Own Plants at Home” and will teach children how and when to plant plants in their own gardens to harvest edible plants.
The final class on June 27th is titled “Show, Eat, and Tell,” and participants will be doing just that.
Gomez said registration for these classes is filling up fast. For more information, call 254-953-5657. Harker Heights Parks and Recreation offers a variety of programs throughout the summer.
Master Gardeners who volunteered at Thursday's program included Angela Brunau, Viola Ming Copsey, Lorraine Brown, Chuck Lauer, Jean Wagner and Susan Fogleman, along with Shelley Spence Parcella of Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension.
