The Junior Master Gardener Program at Big Ugly Community Center has had a summer full of fun, food, and blah! BUCC’s JMG teacher, Jessica Workman, has led the local youth in several projects through which she taught them about plants, how they grow, and their nutritional value.
Students in the Literature Garden
One of their earliest projects was the literature garden. Building this garden required a lot of hard work and research. The kids read stories about gardens and created their own based on a story about a bear and a rabbit who build a garden together. The children learned about plants with edible “tops” and plants with edible “bottoms.” The program also involved the 7th-12th graders who come to BUCC for the summer by teaching them to tend the garden.
They learned further about where their food comes from with the Hamburger Plant project. While the literature garden taught them what fruits and vegetables look like before they head to the grocery store, the Hamburger Plant project took that lesson further by discussing the origins of other food groups, as well. The children learned that the energy inside of breads, meats, and cheeses can also be traced back to plants as well.
The myriad products of the BUCC garden led to a Pizza-Making project. The children learned about variety within the edible plant world, and they learned to be creative when it comes to making meals. The children made their own personal pizzas from scratch, stacking them with all manner of fresh vegetables.
This summer at BUCC through the Junior Master Gardener program, the children learned, above all, the power of the ground they walk on. Through learning nutritional values, discovering new foods, and growing their own, the children at BUCC discovered that the food they eat is more than meets the eye.
A neighborhood dog, Kisses, joins in the fun with the children
Abby Petterchak
Awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂