Growing Gardens After-School Clubs Gears Up for Spring

Growing Gardens has been managing eleven acres of land in north Boulder since 1998, and the organization offers a variety of gardening programs for all ages — all designed to enrich the lives of community members through sustainable urban agriculture. The organization’s Children’s Peace Garden, located on the Growing Gardens Urban Farm, cropped up a few years ago with the goal of teaching local kids about peace, respect, environmental stewardship and friendship via gardening games and activities.

This unique offering is hands-on learning at its best. Children connect with the earth by digging in it, building insect and bird habitats, dressing up as beekeepers for honey tastings and making treats from their organic harvest — all while learning about organic growing and the importance of nature and community.

Spring sessions start on Tuesday, April 21, with classes from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The Tuesday club caters to four-to-six-year-olds and Thursday’s club welcomes children seven to ten. 

Each week ushers in a new garden-related theme. During art week, for example, students learn about Andy Goldsworthy—known for his innovative art installations created with natural materials like leaves, sticks and flowers. For bee week, children observe busy bees making new honeycomb, passing pollen and working in community; back at the greenhouse, they’ll taste some of that delicious honey.

Young explorers will also help greenhouse growers transplant seedlings, and they’ll have a chance to sample roots, shoots and leaves on exploratory grounds tours. At the end of class, children get to pick a plant to take home and nurture.
Individual sessions are $12, or $44 if you register your budding gardener for all four sessions. Register for classes online or call 303-443-9952. And keep an eye out for the fall after-school series, which is similarly priced but includes new topics and themes surrounding the harvest. 

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