Truro Public Library

After picking and tasting some ripe strawberries next to the library, the kids ate a snack and then played a game of tag. We had everyone’s wool gardens set up on tables outside with with a rectangle of Grandmother’s sheet, bubble wrap, plastic sheet, rubber bands and a foam magic wand for rolling the pieces. Janice Redman taught us how to pour the water, add some olive oil soap (not too much) and roll away. We hosed off the pieces and laid them on the deck to dry in the hot sun with a little help from two towels and some stomping feet.

We divided up into three groups. Group one planted marigolds (brought by Anna) with Lou, group two helped Anna plant morning glories around the outside of the garden and group three observed what they noticed in the garden with Maggie. Next a game of Tag, You’re Fit and then a few kids picked and rinsed some spinach for all 14 participants to taste along with Anna’s fantastic dressing: olive oil, garlic cloves, dijon mustard, honey, rice vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper. All the spinach was eaten and the kids wanted the recipe for the yummy dip!

• plant marigolds at the ends of the beds to help keep bugs away
• plant morning glories near fence so they can climb
• observe
• water new plants

We divided up into three groups. Group one planted marigolds (brought by Anna) with Lou, group two helped Anna plant morning glories around the outside of the garden and group three observed what they noticed in the garden with Maggie. Next a game of Tag, You’re Fit and then a few kids picked and rinsed some spinach for all 14 participants to taste along with Anna’s fantastic dressing: olive oil, garlic cloves, dijon mustard, honey, rice vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper. All the spinach was eaten and the kids wanted the recipe for the yummy dip!

• plant marigolds at the ends of the beds to help keep bugs away
• plant morning glories near fence so they can climb
• observe
• water new plants

First we found Larry Bob the garden frog/toad in the grass and brought him over to the garden to eat the bugs. Next we played a game of Museum tag and then Steph read The Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin during snack time. Each child was then given a big board brought over from the Provincetown Art Association and Museum by Bronwyn and some watercolor paints, a pencil, paper, brushes and water to assist their interpretation of any part of the garden. Next everyone was encouraged to examine the worms that Steph brought and then they were added to the compost bin. We learned that some worms can live to be 8 years old, sometimes you can see their poop inside of them that there are hundreds of kinds of worms in all different sizes.

 .  . 

Nine children came over with Larkin and Jen to help plant eight tomato plants deep (after removing the two bottom leaves) among the lettuce. Everyone observed one aspect of the garden and noted the temperature and weather for the day: “warm, windy, sunny”. The new transplants were then well watered.

• transplant tomatoes among lettuce
• ask children to draw and write about the garden
• water

   . 

Ranger Mitch from the Cape Cod National Seashore presented a Nauset Indian Survival Skills program for us. We learned about wetu and longhouse shelters and looked at an early map of where farms were located. We talked about what kinds of plants would have been eaten and how a bow drill would have been used to make fire. Next the children looked at artifacts: pounders, arrowheads, a sharpening rock and scrapers and guessed how these tools might have been used. Finally we made rope out milkweed plants. Thank you Glenn Mitchell.

   .