A note from Kaitie Adams
Youth Educator, Americorps
In 2014, EarthDance developed its Seven Generation Garden as a showcase for home-scale growing techniques, to complement the commercial-scale agricultural training available in our production fields. Since then, the garden has been a favored space for youth tours and field trips. Here, EarthDance offers sensory, hands-on activities such as picking sweet peppers off the vine, investigating compost, or exploring how herbs flavor our world. Though the Seven Generation Garden has been used to educate youth, it was not designed for running feet, curious hands, or large groups. Seeing the need for such a space, EarthDance will transform the Seven Generation Garden into a youth-driven garden this season!
The design will showcase various ways of growing food (including wooden raised beds, a gourd tunnel, and a bean teepee); an interactive worm bin; wider walking paths, educational signage; and kid-friendly crop choices. The expanded growing area, larger paths, and youth-size tools will enable EarthDance to offer more interactive tours and service projects for young volunteers.
With the successful completion of the Seven Generation Garden re-design, 2017 will be the first season EarthDance will be able to welcome volunteers under age 14, including a weekly inter-generational program that brings together senior volunteers & Ferguson youth! Come see the new design on our weekly tour at 11am on Saturdays beginning in May!