5/13/13

Inspiration at Washington Youth Garden!

By Marsha Johnston, Arcadia Farm Education Volunteer 

Last week, several Arcadia Farm Educators visited the Washington Youth Garden at the National Arboretum to share our best practices and learn the secrets to WYG's 40-year longevity. We were not disappointed.

First, we were impressed by the garden itself, with its vibrantly colored, giant bird statue, Poptart garden and beautiful asparagus patch, but even more by WYG's skilled staff.  From amazing Education Programs Manager Anna Benfield and Garden Manager Nadia Mercer to Emily the Garden Education Assistant, they gave us tips on making our farm education appealing and interesting to any age group. 

When it comes to helping kids observe bees without fear, for example, Anna asked her fourth-graders, "Do YOU have pollen or nectar in your pockets? No? Well, then you can be sure that ol' bee won't be interested in YOU!" 

We watched in fascination as the kids were taught how to pick asparagus and to extract cotton seeds from their fluffy pods and plant them. 

Thank you Washington Youth Garden, for sharing your experience with us.  Farm education in the capitol region will be ever richer for it! 

If you'd like to discover more about the Washington Youth Garden's educational opportunities for students in D.C., visit their programs page here. If you're interested in the learning opportunity of being an Arcadia Farm Educator, check back in June for intern and volunteer postings. 



Photos by Aisha Salazar, Arcadia Farm Education Intern 

2 comments:

  1. Good thing to hear that there are still youths in Washington who do love farming.

    farm business plan

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  2. Here I would like to talk about Rajeev Chaba who is the inspiration for many people. He started as a normal engineering student but went on to become an able leader. He has done ME in Mechanical engineering from Madan Mohan Malviya Engineering College in Gorakhpur, to further increase his knowledge he pursued an MBA in Marketing from IIM Bangalore, which is yet another prestigious institutes of India. The knowledge he gained through his education was well spent and contribution to develop motor industry is remarkable.

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