Garden 118 Halloween Party

Just a reminder that this Wednesday October 29th  3pm - 4pm we will be having a special Garden 118 Halloween Party!!!

There will be treats, games, a seed saving station and a  pumpkin learning station! Come join us for this fun 1 hour class and dress up as your favorite farm character (nothing scary or gory).

If you have any questions or want to join us leave a comment or email me!

Hope to see you all there!

Seed Saving Class

Today was all about saving seeds from your summer harvest!

We explored the garden and collected marigolds & basil. I had already had corn, sunflower, pumpkin ready for when the kids arrived.

After I showed them how to harvest the seeds we crafted seed packets for them to take their seeds home in.

We talked about the seed lending library at the Chico branch of the library. You can check out seeds then bring them back after harvest. Fun way of sharing seeds that you know grow well in our area!

We also discussed the reasons to save seeds the easiest seeds to save, and the more difficult ones, too.

The kids also got to feed the chickens sunflower seeds (a favorite of the birds) and chase the ducks.

The seed packets are from You Grow Girl . It is a great source for information on seeds, storing them, harvesting, and preserving. Also a great resource for canning, gardening, crafting (what I do, but on a much bigger scale :)

Thank you all for attending and hope to see you at the next class or two!

Dragonflies have a Purpose in the Garden!

A few weeks ago, when the weather turned cloudy and cold, the kids found this dragonfly hanging around in the ivy. 

We decided to learn about dragonflies! And what better way than having one right outside our front door.

lovely wings

I never knew much about dragonflies or really what their purpose was in the garden except to make it pretty in the late afternoon. So off to the books we headed to find out.

They have eyes that are made up of about 30,000 facets

Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and other small bugs. Their job in the garden and around your home is to keep the mosquito population in check. But they have to watch out for birds and lizards. They love to snack on these garden beauties.

Dragonflies have been around for about 300 million years...amazing

They lay eggs in fresh water ponds and streams and stay in the water eating small fish and even tadpoles while they are babies. They stay babies for up to 2 years depending on species. Unfortunately the adult dragon flies only live for a few weeks.

More facts and activities can be found here easyscienceforkids.com (search for dragonfly).

A fun activity to try is making a dragonfly habitat or garden. Maybe this spring or summer we will give it a try! How about you?

October Class Schedule

As promised I have put together a schedule for the month of October. Now that we have established some sort of routine and can now slow down and enjoy garden classes again!

I am SO excited about this. I first have to say that I got my inspiration from an article I read in Bon Appetite magazine. Based on that article I am offering 2 hands on gardening classes and one cooking class a month.

The gardening classes are free but the cooking class is going to cost a small fee for materials and food. And mom's stay tuned for MOM's only cooking classes where we can learn a few more lunch ideas, dinner menus, and just some mom time (a fee will apply for materials and wine;)

I do have to get a little more strict with the sign ups due to space limitations. Please let me know if you will be attending any or all the classes with either an email, comment on the blog, or comment on facebook with how many are attending so I can pencil in your spot. Also payment will be due at the time of class on the cooking days or any other classes that are offered for a fee.

This round of classes are going to be super awesome!!!!

October Schedule of Classes

Tuesday October 14th from 10-11:30 will be Seed Saving - have fun collecting seeds to keep and plant in the spring!

Saturday October 25th from 10:30 - 12:00 will be our first ever COOKING CLASS! We will be making 2 variations of pizza, then we will sit down and enjoy our creations with one another! The fee for this class is $3.00 per child (adults are free) which includes food and material costs.

glass gem corn

Wednesday October 29th from 3:00 - 4:00 pm will be our first annual Halloween party!!! We will learn about pumpkins, fall planting/winter gardening. Come dressed in your costume, if you want and enjoy some tricks and treats! (donations of cookies or candy would be appreciated but are not necessary).

I can't wait to see all of you this October and don't for get to sign up for one or all of the classes!