Wings in the Forest--A Garden Chronicle for 2011

   I was so excited when I found out that we won, in a lotto, a garden plot at Rockwood Park last week.  Our vision is to have a place that belongs to the group--a place where the children can spread their wings explore nature freely and work along side their grownups.  Yes, we can all do this at home--but it is so much more fun with a tribe!

     I will be posting here weekly to give garden updates to our members and those that feel drawn. 

Thursday, March 17th, 2011  66F  Want to Join the Fun! Click here for Registration Details

     What a fabulous day, while Heather and I are accustomed to exploring the world with our children over the Winter--it was so nice to have such a full group of curious little ones.  The weather was just right, and our time together was valuable.  We had many new participants that spent most of their time getting to know the space and those in the space.  Others felt comfortable leaping out of the shelter 3 area and exploring more deeply into the woods.  Some members worked on their nature journals while others found signs of Spring to add to their journals.  Many new signs--budding bushes, lovely ladybugs, furry ferns and ambitious acorns.  One little one interpreted "do you want to draw this in your journal" as draw on the item and then pick it up and put it in your journal and draw with it--while older children explored hues and shading.

     When we walked out of the woods to the garden plot there was plenty of excitement--so much that it led to some little ones needing a nap.  What did we find there?  Worms, Spiders, Ants--Oh My! All were invited to add a scoop of soil to the bucket so we could test the soil, some were excited to play in the dirt--others may need to warm up to the idea.  We also met our garden neighbors and removed inorganic materials from the soil before heading back to the shelter for the soil test.  

     Testing the soil was an adventure in itself--everyone had a job to do!  Our results look good and next week Heather will interpret them for us so we can help the soil do the best that it can.  We look forward to see what next week will bring!

--Melanie