Nature

[triplethreat]

I am thinking of adding a nature component to our program to add variety since our facilities are rather basic.

I would like to do some gardening with our younger campers, but our camp runs one-week sessions. (Many campers come for more than one though) Does anyone have suggestions for fast-growing plants that kids would enjoy? I know beans grow quickly, but I'd like to have some variety.

[c3divers]

grass seeds grow fast or how about alfalfa sprouts.

[Smudge]

We had a garden at camp for the first time last summer - we had beans, peas, carrots, and some other things i cant remember - but the kids loved working in the garden!

[Melk]

This doesnt have to do with plants.... kinda.... but you can start a compost bin..... that way your whole camp can help out too!

[annknee]

We had a garden that was started before the summer - so not quick growing plants, but the kids wereable to help do the gardening etc. All of the things grown were edible, from the obvious lots of lettuce and beans to flowers with edible leaves. That way children who were there just one week could have the benefits of it.

[Smudge]

We had a compost bin too! I think our dream workers built it and then painted it bright orange!

[c3divers]

We had an earth worm bin - It was really cool. It showed the kids how vital worms are to the environment.

[KiwiCRB]

I garden would be cool!! I wonder how you would stop the deer from eating it...

[Smudge]

Fences!

Well that would be my guess!

[ARam_Kelp]

My camp has a garden and works on a one week programs. We got our girls involved by having them do watering and such. As far as plants I'm not entirely sure what grew. Another way to get kids involved is have them do crafts with it, one of our sessions made lawn decorations for the fence, another was given the duty of initiating the garden knome into camp life.

[triplethreat]

Unfortunately anything we grow will have to be done in pots as we rent the space, and our facilities are sometimes used by other people during the evenings.

[Smudge]

You can grow things like carrots and potatoes in pots if they are large enough - any root veg really and also things like lettuce and cabbage and onions and stuff. Tomatoes can be grown in grow-bags (at least that is what we call them) and I think so can things like cucumbers and beans.

Also herbs can be grown in pots.


Reading that it almost sounds like I know what I am talking about - thats what happens when you grow up with a gardener I guess! I will ask about what can be grown well in pots cos we used to have a tiny garden!

[ARam_Kelp]

For pots you can use watering as something to get kids involve. Also you can have them decorate pots as a project to get them involved. Our camp has it's welcome sign made up of flower pots with geraniums on a table that our CITs painted with the camp names spelled out with flower pots.

Also for pots you could get some already started plants( peppers would work well), instead of starting from seeds. That sort of skips the step of having them sprout, but they would still be able to see the plants grow.

[jpnlpinlove]

Rye grass is good.