CHILDREN'S GARDENS

Our hope for the future lies in the children. According to cultural historian Thomas Berry, however, our future is in grave danger because children "experience a world circumscribed by so much human-made material they are deprived of any normal relationship with the earth." The National Gardening Association sponsors KidsGardening.com, which provides excellent resources for parents and teachers interested in children's gardens. Below is a sampling of the organizations in Washington State working to help children re-connect with the earth.

Orca at Columbia School Garden (https://orcagarden.wordpress.com/)
The Orca at Columbia School Garden, which began over ten years ago as a patch of bare asphalt on the school playground, has evolved into a garden that provides food for the community, a place of beauty for the school and the neighborhood, and an important outdoor classroom for students. The garden donates produce and vegetable starts to local food banks, it provides a source of information and inspiration to local gardeners, and it offers its visitors-whether students, parents, teachers, or neighbors-a place to observe and respect the workings of nature.

Seattle Tilth Children's Garden (http://www.seattletilth.org/)
The Seattle Tilth Children's Garden is designed to teach children an appreciation of their connection to the living world. Each year more than 1,000 children learn an appreciation for the plant, animal, and insect life found in healthy gardens. Seattle Tilth also publishes a curriculum, "Teaching Peace through Gardening," for parents and teachers wishing to develop programs for elementary school age children.

Teaching Food Garden (http://www.lopezclt.org/the-lopez-island-farm-education-life/)
The Teaching Food Garden engages both children and adults in growing vegetables and contributing to their community.