Family Garden Reopens: Kids—and Rabbits—Are “Hoppy”!

Posted in Gardens and Collections, Learning Experiences on April 16 2010, by Plant Talk

Children Learn About Plants Through Hands-on Gardening

Toby Adams is Manager of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

Clickety clank. Bumpity bumpity bump. Two pairs of ears stand up scanning the Family Garden for the noise. Clickety clank. Bumpity bumpity bump. Two curious, twitching noses aim this way and then that.

“What’s that clanking and bumping?” wondered sleepy Darwin, the Family Garden’s newest resident rabbit (at left in photo).

Newton hopped around his hutch, the Family Garden’s original resident rabbit had heard these noises before. “I think I know what the clinkety clanks and bumpity bumps are,” Newton assured Darwin. “The Family Garden must be open again!”

“So much for peace and quiet” mumbled Darwin.

“Don’t you know what this means?” Newton advised Darwin, “The kids take care of the garden. They dig in the soil, plant seeds, water, and clear out the weeds! Soon enough, they’ll be rewarded with baskets full of delicious harvests—crispy leaves of lettuce, crunchy stems of parsley, kohlrabi as big as baseballs, bunches of broccoli, fistfuls of sugar snap peas, and more.”

“And what does this mean for us?” questioned Darwin.

“They always harvest more than they need and most certainly share with us—the most carefully cultivated and freshest breakfast, lunch, and dinner a rabbit could ask for!” shouted Newton, excitedly standing on his hind feet, practically pushing open his hutch door.

Sure enough, pairs of feet bounced past Darwin and Newton, shovels and trowels in hands, clickety clack, and wagons loaded with freshly sifted compost in tow, bumpity bump.

“Hello Newton!” cried one. “Hello Darwin!” shouted another, as they hurried past the hutches and on to the garden plots.

The rabbits are right. The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is open again for the season. Children and their families come to learn about plants and the natural world through hands-on gardening Tuesdays through Sundays from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. A changing roster of programs encourage children to explore seasonal themes. April is Wake Up Garden!, May is Bulbs Unearthed, and June is Herbal Delights, Naturally.

Stop by and get your hands dirty. And say hello to Newton and Darwin!