Youth Gardeners

May 2023 TWGC and the entire second grade class of Oaks Road Academy visited Cool Springs. The kids learned about different flora and fauna.

Youth Gardeners

April 2023

GARDEN BEES – by Paula Hartman

Our April meeting with the BEES was very exciting. We introduced “Butterflies”- with their life cycle.  We spoke about the importance of butterflies in today’s world.  Then, the BEES sat quietly as we transferred the larvae to the habitat.  The caterpillars were quite active as Ms Frances had been watching them for the past week.  We hope that the butterflies will emerge within 2 weeks.  The teacher assured us that she will call us.  We bought 2 cups of larvae with 6 caterpillars in each cup  (buy one, get one…ha ha)  So we are anxiously awaiting the call!  We also brought a spider plant and had the BEES clip a baby which they promptly placed in a OUI jar(recycled) and placed on windowsill with water.  This was the horticulture lesson for the day. They will watch for roots to emerge and we will bring flower pots and soil for them to plant for Mother’s Day .  Then, Ms Kathy distributed materials to make Mother’s Day cards.  That cricket is amazing!  (ask Kathy)

So, all in all, we had a very bzzzy day.  Also, We will be accompanying the BEES and the rest of the second graders to Cool Springs on May 12—it’s going to be so very fun and informative for us all. 

Watch for updates about the butterflies! 

February 2023 Youth Gardeners

Trent Woods Garden Club volunteers visited with Oaks Rod Academy second graders on Valentine’s Day.  The day started with reviewing last month’s lessons and the kids had checked off the bird visitors they observed at home at their own feeders.  They taught the children how to make floral designs using oasis (new Word!!), greens, and mini carnations which they placed in recycled punch bowl cups.  The results were beautiful.  The BEES gave an arrangement to both their teacher and the principal!  They also created Valentine cards and each one was unique!  They even had time to check out the gardens, pull the radishes and disperse wildflower seeds (which were from NCDOT).  Unfortunately, the daffodil bulbs they planted in November have not bloomed yet—next month hopefully! All in all, our visit was very bzzzzy…can you imagine that we do this all within an hour and 15 minutes!

TWGC met with our second graders at Oaks Road Academy. After a lesson about trees and bulbs, the group planted a tree in honor of Arbor Day and spring bulbs. The students also wrote thank you notes to Mr Roger at Tractor Supply for providing the red maple tree.

The BEES are shown here learning about the crops of Craven County from Kathy Perretta. They were able to touch and smell all the samples provided by the Craven Extension office. Here the BEES are planting their cuttings from last month’s meeting. TWGC volunteers Carole Letellier and Ann G. Hall are helping.

11.1.2019 Frances Eder shows an Oaks Road Academy Bee how to separate seeds from a spent flower.
The children will plant the seeds in the spring.
11.1.2019 Carol Letellier admires the nosegays created by two Youth Gardener students from Oaks Road Academy.
11.1.2019 The BEEs created lovely cotton, lavender and bay leaf nosegays during our November 2019 class. Part of our meeting was learning about cotton, a Craven County crop.

October 2019 Youth Gardener Meeting

We had a slow start this year as we had a new teacher and classroom to establish before we met the children. We finally went to Oaks Road Academy on Friday, Oct. 4.  What a great group of 25 eager second graders!  But did you know there is preparation work to be done before this initial visit?  First, we needed to get the fall garden established by picking up and amending the gardens with 1600 pounds of compost from our local landfill in Tuscarora. At our first meeting, we introduced seeds and how they grow. The BEES planted radish and spinach seeds, in addition to broccoli, collards and lettuce plants.  In the wildflower area, they sprinkled seeds from NCDOT plus some poppy seeds. The BEES are expected to maintain the gardens until we return next month.

Environment and habitat were the words of the day.  So, we introduced our mascot, Woodsy Owl, combining his motto of “Lend A Hand, Care for the Land” with the need to recycle and reuse to help the world around us.  For a craft activity, the BEES made Woodsy puppets which they seemed to really enjoy (as witnessed by the photos).  Our visit was very bzzzy as always and if you would like to join us, we return on Nov. 1. We will be introducing Arbor Day by planting a tree plus making decorations for the hospital tree.  We’ll also squeeze in a lesson about bulbs and plant daffodils.    Call Carol Letellier or Paula Hartman if interested! Happy Fall!  The Garden Ladies:  Frances Eder, Eileen Griswold, Lori Gover, Ann Hall, Sylvia Cotton, and Kathy Perretta.

As every gardener knows the best vegetables and flowers start with good nutritious soil! TWGC President Paula Hartman (and her husband Tom) delivered 1600 lbs. of Tuscarora gold to the planting beds at Oaks Road Academy.
Planting collards October 4, 2019
Fun with the Woodsy the Owl puppets the kids made! October 4, 2019

TWGC reaches out every month with a visit to our second grade “Bees” at Oak Road Academy. Teaching the children about plants, trees, vegetables, nature and the environment. TWGC members help the children with ongoing projects such as: planting a vegetable garden and later enjoying the fruits of their labors, planting a tree for Arbor Day, learning about the National Forestry Service and their mascot Smokey the Bear, to craft projects the kids get to take home. A lovely healthy snack is provided and everyone thoroughly enjoys their time together!

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