Happy Thursday!
I don’t think I’ve had a chance to share with you guys my new job that I started in January! Essentially, I’m a Garden Ranger for EnrichLA, a non-profit whose mission is to put gardens “in every school” in Los Angeles. My job–as well as the other Rangers–is to go to the schools assigned to me as a sort of “guest speaker” and teach kids classes about, but not limited to: How to Plant Seeds (and Seed Saving), Beneficial versus Harmful Bugs, Composting, Parts of a Plant, Cooking Classes (making salad or apple tasting) and Endangered Species (like the Monarch and Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies).
Having a recent love for urban farming and cultivating my own fruits and vegetables, I’ve been aching to teach young kids about the importance of being mindful about HOW food grows; what fruits/vegs LOOK like when they grow; what FRESH fruits and vegetables TASTE like; and the JOY of growing your own food.
I’ve been blessed to volunteer with this organization since October and then to be presented with a position at the beginning of the year! Here’s a little snippet of what I’ve been up to since the Fall…I hope you smile just as much as I do when I re-browse these photos! :-)
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- The Diary of a Worm is perfect for wiggly little PreKs, Kinders and 1st graders! They love the story of Worm and his telling of his Life as an Earth-dependent invertebrate.
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- Monarch Caterpillars and Butterflies are very popular around LA! Many schools are adding milkweed to their gardens to promote more beautiful orange and black striped pollinators!
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- Me helping to teach an Endangered Species lesson – my portion was about the PV Blue Butterfly.
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- Apple tasting: Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious! The kids voted the HC was the best :)
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- Apple tasting with the little kids…
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- Beautiful butterfly in PV!
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- Gigantic carrot harvested from one of my school’s gardens!
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- Observing the compost pile during a scavenger hunt…
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- Teaching the kids about the parts of a plant and examples of each. Did you know Broccoli is a flower?
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- Teaching the kids about seeds! What do you find in the inside of a pumpkin?
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- Told you broccoli is a flower!
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- We can’t have compost without the FBIs!
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- Beet greens – what beauties!
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Hope, in the photos presented, you look like you are as happy as a bunny in a briar patch, a plant life that is inedible as far as I know, but offers other advantages to real bunnies who share in the love of gardening and need to hide their enjoyment from Farmer Brown. Whew? That was a long one.
Grandma and I are so happy for you that you are able to share your interests with little children who possess those “sponge like” minds. This must be a real joy for you.
God bless you and Cobalt as you make a life there in L.A.
I know this has been going on for a good while, but it just popped up on my Facebook, so that’s why I am just now responding.
We love you.
Grandpa and Grandma