with a dandelion? Our tiny artists love to create beauty and share their creations with us, one of their precious ways of saying “I love you.” Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series exploring the world of gardening with children. Debbi Marshall is a master gardener, retired U.S. probation officer and Grammie to three rambunctious pint-sized gardeners.
Growing little gardeners For ongoing care of your garden, partner with your child in the mundane by pulling weeds, watering and tending to your child’s plants together. The novelty of gardening can quickly fade if the chores become drudgery, so allow plenty of time for catching frogs, watching wiggling earthworms and making mud pies. Especially for budding scientists or naturalists, composting (decayed organic material used to improve soil) can be a fun, educational activity for the whole family. At age 7, my granddaughter became intrigued with starting a compost bin. She learned which kitchen scraps are appropriate for composting and helped collect them. And even her youngest brother delighted in tossing egg shells, fruit and veggie scraps and coffee grounds into the composting bin. Keeping the compost wet provides yet another excuse to turn on the water hose! The transformation of kitchen and garden scraps into rich, “black gold” soil is magical. Even yard maintenance can be intriguing. My grandchildren especially enjoy planting fescue grass seed with me. They liked what I called “roughing up” the existing soil with a rake, scattering the fescue seeds and sprinkling the seeds with water. A few weeks later, we all celebrated when fine blades of bright green grass began to appear. Finally, enjoy the beauty you’ve created together. Children delight in picking flowers, even occasionally flowers we don’t want them to pick! How often have the little ones in your life proudly presented you
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V3 - 03162020 Trinity School Ad for Summer Programs 2020.pdf 1 3/30/20 11:23 AM
Dyslexia • Dyscalculia • Dysgraphia • ASD • Sensory and Motor Processing
Summer Up Session 1: June 8th through 19th Summer Up Session 2: July 6th through 17th 9:00am to 4:00pm
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LOOK FORWARD TO • Reading Intensives • Language Arts • Math Intensives • Group Ready Therapy • Summer Activities & Crafts • Field Trips • Water Play Day!
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Call or email for more information (405) 525-5600 admissions@trinityschoolokc.org or visit us on the Web at trinityschoolokc.org/summer-up
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