Growing Kids

Presented by the Franklin Farmer’s Market, Growing Kids Educational Garden is a free education class series that will begin on April 20th at the Park at Harlinsdale Farm.  This garden will help kids understand where their food comes and will give them important info on the environment and nutrition.

Most kids have made up their minds by the time they get to 3rd grade about what foods taste good. But there’s no better way to get them to try vegetables than to have them eat what they’ve grown themselves. We want them to learn more about how tiny seeds can grow into large plants and why bees are important in the food chain. We want them to learn more about the environment and how their actions can help or hurt nature. And we want them to know the role that farming plays in feeding everyone.

Classes will be taught by farmers and garden experts on Wednesdays through out the summer. Through the months of April and May, class times will be at 3:30pm and run for approximately one hour. In June, class time changes to 10am on Wednesdays. The classes are free and we provide all the tools need for garden work. The kids just need to wear clothing that you don’t mind them getting dirty! Over the course of the summer, they’ll also bring home produce that they’ve grown, along with new recipes to try out with their veggies.

Check out photos of local children planting seeds at the official Garden opening on Thursday, April 7, 2011.


Photo Credit: Photos are from the City of Franklin’s Facebook page and being used with the City’s permission.  We encourage everyone to “like” the City of Franklin’s page on Facebook.

While children of all ages are welcomed, the classes are intended for kids in 1st through 5th . Garden tools, plants and seeds are provided for the classes. Bottled water will also be provided for the kids.

There are a few things that you need to provide for your children to participate in the garden classes.

• Sunscreen. The garden is in a full sun location, so put on the sunscreen!
• A sun visor or hat and sunglasses would also help to protect your child.
• Closed toe shoes. Flip flops in the garden are not good!
• Garden gloves for digging in the dirt.

Classes last approximately one hour and will include hands-on learning in the garden. The garden classes are not set up for daycare. A parent or a guardian of a child must remain in the garden area during the classes.

Attendance: This is a learning program designed to introduce gardening lessons on a weekly basis and to build on what’s already been learned with each week’s new lessons. The more classes your children attend, the more they will learn.

Bad weather: Weather conditions can cause a class to be rescheduled. If cancellation of a class is necessary, notification will be by phone or e-mail.

Toilet Facilities: There is a port-a-potty on site.

Visiting the garden on non-class days: Please do! We encourage the kids to visit the garden between classes. If they bring their own hand-tools, they can pull weeds and do a little garden maintenance.

2011 April & May classes

Please Note: All classes in April and May are scheduled for 3:30pm on Wednesdays. Classes run for approximately one hour. Beginning in June, classes will take place at 10am on Wednesdays. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to class times, so that we can start classes on time!

___            April 20th:  We Eat Dirt!

___            April 27th:  Seeds We Need.

___            May 4th:     Dig It. Plant It.

___            May 11th:   Light, Water, Action!

___            May 18th:   We Say Manure, You Say Eeeewww!

___            May 25th:   Do the Worm Wiggle