Darren Butler to lead children's gardening class

Let's Grow: Hands-On Gardening for Kids (Ages 8 to 12)
with instructor Darren Butler

Monday mornings at 11 AM, six consecutive Mondays from Oct 20 through Nov 24, La Crescenta

What do we know and wonder about plants? What is an organ and do plants have organs? Why does a seed grow when a penny won't? How do worms turn our food waste into fertile soil?

In October and November, Darren Butler will be offering a special, closed-session gardening course for kids ages 8 to 12, intended to bring gardening to homeschool families. Sessions will be held Mondays, Oct 20 through Nov 24 (six sessions) from 11 AM to noon.

Curriculum will include curiosity and wondering about plants, seed starting, soil and organic matter, preparing garden beds, basic botany, roots and why they are important, compost and worm compost, pollination, and more.

Cost is $150 total for two attendees (one parent and one child) for the six classes. The group will be small, about 8 to 14 people total including all adults and children. Simple materials that would be on hand in a normal household will be recommended for some projects (see syllabus below), and won't be provided. A few hand lenses will be available for sharing.

To be considered for the course, please contact Darren Butler by phone at (818) 271-0963 or email to allnet@pobox.com. The course is being held at a private residence. An interview with the homeowner who is sponsoring the course will be required for admittance. We are looking for parents and students who are able to work well in a group setting when time is as a premium, have fun without becoming too wild, respectfully use another person's living space, and help create a learning environment in which everyone is supported.

Notice for this course is short and it may fill quickly. If you are interested, please contact Darren Butler immediately.

Tentative syllabus appears below. Some topics may be excluded due to time constraints.


Title: Let's Grow: Hands-On Gardening for Kids (ages 8 to 12)

Class 1, Oct 20
Curiosity. What do we know and wonder about plants? Do they have eyes? Why or why not? What is an organ and do plant have organs? What can we plant that will grow and why? Why does a seed grow when a penny won't? Can pieces of plants grow like seeds or become new plants? What is required for a seed to sprout?

Seed starting in baggies.

Soil and organic matter: What is soil? What is organic matter? Why are they important?

Preparing a garden bed.

Materials needed: Seeds, paper towels, plastic baggies for kids to take home and monitor. Organic matter, hand gardening tools.


Class 2, Oct 27
Botany with seeds: opening up a sprouted fava bean to see the miniature emerging plant.

Planting seeds in beds, in paper cups for future transplanting, and in cutaway cartons for future examination of roots. Plant same seed variety in three or four soil types (clay compacted by hand, clay mixed with compost, straight potting soil, etc.) to compare root growth.

What are roots and why are they important?

Materials needed: Seeds sprouted during the week in baggies, hand lens(es), half-gallon milk cartons or similar, scissors to cut away one side, clear plastic to replace side of carton for future viewing of roots. Seeds for beds and cups, soil/compost or potting soil.


Class 3, Nov 3
Compost and worm compost. What is compost and why is it important?

Experimenting with worms. Layer food waste in a glass jar and add worms to observe how the worms consume and mix the decaying food into soil.

Materials needed: TBD for compost bin demo or activity. Glass jars with lids that can be punctured to provide air. Redworms (Eisenia). Food waste/scraps to put into jars.


Class 4, Nov 10
Roots and shoots. Transplanting plants from seeds started during class 2. Examination and comparison of roots in cartons from activity during class 2.

What are herbs and how do we use them? How are they different from vegetables? Transplanting herbs.

Materials needed: Seeds and cartons from class 2. Herb starts for transplanting.


Class 5, Nov 17
Vegetable gardening. How do gardens work? Pollination. Water. How do plants make seeds? Flowers and fruit. What parts of plants do we eat?

Materials needed: TBD, if any.


Class 6, Nov 24
Plants and sunlight. The wonder of how plants turn sunlight into food for all other living things.

Bugs and the garden. Bug hunt, examination with hand lens(es). Why do butterflies matter? Are lizards useful to a garden?

Materials needed: Hand lenses.