Join Jill Mays for a panel discussion of her new book, Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs. The Sustainable CAPE’s Children’s Community Garden and the gardening activities at the library became the catalyst for Mays’ book—this panel will discuss its development and growth.

PANELISTS:
Francie Randolph, Founding Director of Sustainable CAPE and
Maggie Hanelt, Interim Library Director/Youth Services Librarian

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs shows how the uninitiated can begin gardening: from the smallest pot of flowers to a large, flourishing plot of land. The guide outlines why gardening is critical to everyone’s health and provides step-by-step instructions on how to go about creating a garden, and how to make gardening accessible across a lifespan, from the eager beaver preschooler to octogenarians. Specific activities, ways to adapt tasks to accommodate special needs, and benefits gained from the activities are reviewed. Finally, recent findings on the health benefits of gardening are reviewed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jill Mays is the author of Your Child’s Motor Development Story, which explains the critical importance of sensory exploration and natural play for healthy development. An occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration for many years, she has conducted workshops in a variety of settings and provided consultation to parents, educators and health care providers. For the past ten years she has immersed herself in gardening, working with farmers and assisting in the development of children’s garden programs. She developed and currently leads a garden group for special needs adults. Her new book, Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs will be published 12/3/2024. Mays lives with her husband, Eric, dog and a flock of chickens at the far end of Cape Cod.