Growing gardeners
Sowing seeds of the future for Agriculture Literacy Month
There were things growing at Abram-Village Public Library recently when a gardening session was held for children.
Abram-Village Public Library hosted presentations on gardening and agriculture recently for children to learn healthy eating habits, the environmental implications of planting organically, and the conceptual understanding of food origins. The event, in support of Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month, seeks to plant the seed for future generations to continue gardening and get handson experience with food sources. Many children today only experience food that came from the grocery store.
“We find in this area it’s the older generation that are still doing gardening, so we are trying to emphasize with the youth how important it is to garden and eat healthy, in multiple ways from small planter gardens to full big ones,” said Abram-Village librarian, Collette Gallant.
Students were given tomato plant stems, and using plastic wrap, created a type of greenhouse around the stem. They also had the opportunity to grow a second plant right from seed.
“The children were all given a tomato, and then they had a choice of a watermelon, cantaloupe or a sunflower for their second choice,” explained Gallant. “They are learning about the implications of the greenhouse effect as well.”
P.E.I. 4-H, a youth organization program that provides opportunities for leadership and life skills while promoting agriculture awareness, donated packets of seeds that support bee pollination for a healthy eco-system. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry also partnered and donated books and gift certificates.
“I had fun,” said Luke Gallant, 2, while leafing through the pages of an agricultural picture book.