News Release

Date: April 17, 2002

For: Immediate Release

By: Vickie B. Mullins

4-H Extension Agent

Santa Rosa County Extension Service

Telephone: 850/623-3868 or 939-1259, Ext 1360

Kids and Gardening

Kids and gardening – what a natural combination. What kid doesn’t like digging in the dirt? And what better way to help children learn about life than through gardening projects?

When kids do gardening projects they have the opportunity to get dirty and learn at the same time. Gardening projects teach many life skills and scientific principles as well as responsibility. When children are allowed to plant seeds or young plants they get a “learn by doing” experience about nature.

Children are delighted in seeing their seeds sprout, and watching the young plants grow to maturity. Children are amazed as the plants grow, blossom, and fruit or flower. Also, they enjoy eating the produce or picking and sharing the pretty flowers that the plants produce.

Providing the watering and weeding needed teaches children to be responsible. They can see the direct consequences of their efforts as their plants thrive or they learn about the failures of not following through as their plants wither and die or are overtaken with weeds.

The 4-H program began 100 years ago in 1902 with teaching gardening skills. Boys were taught how to grow bigger and better corn in the first 4-H Clubs which were “Corn Clubs.” Girls were taught to grow and can tomatoes in “Tomato Clubs.” 4-H has changed quite a bit in the last 100 years, but it has also retained many of its “roots” (no pun intended) and gardening projects continue to be popular with both youth and 4-H Adult Leaders.

Today’s 4-H gardening projects include “Gardening in Containers” for youth who live in apartments or have limited gardening space, “Growing Perennials” for those who like flowering plants and “Growing Plants Indoors” for those who like to bring the outside indoors as well as the traditional farming and gardening projects.

No matter which gardening project the youth choose, they will be involved as they plan and conduct their project. As the youth work on their gardening project they will have opportunities to develop or do other projects which may “spin off” from the gardening project. Projects like “Entomology” and “Soil Science” allow them to delve deeper into their project. “Food and Nutrition” and “Canning” projects provide youth with opportunities to learn to prepare what they grow.

Gardening projects are just one of the many topics of projects available through the 4-H program. The 4-H program uses the “learn by doing” method to teach youth about things in which they are interested.

On Saturday, April 20, 2002, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm 4-H members, 4-H volunteers and Master Gardeners will be conducting “Kids Seed Planting Event” at the Wal-Mart stores in Pace and Gulf Breeze. The event will allow children to plant a seed, which they can take home to grow. The event is free and is being sponsored through a partnership of Wal-Mart and 4-H and Santa Rosa Master Gardeners. Children will also receive handouts on children’s gardening activities.

For more information about the Santa Rosa County 4-H program contact, Vickie B. Mullins, 4-H Coordinator, at the Santa Rosa County Extension Office (623-3868 or 939-1259, ext. 1360). Extension Service programs are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin.