This week I had the opportunity to share some time with a group of future garden educators. As we chose our garden tasks and got to work, I saw glimpses of who these men and women may have been as children.
A couple people from the group went straight to the compost area and reveled in the chance to use a pitchfork, and their strength, to turn the pile. I immediately pictured their younger selves being drawn to similar gross motor activities on the playground or in the yard. Another group went over to the garlic station to learn how to braid garlic bulbs for hanging. I could imagine the same group in years past focusing intently on bracelets or other detail-oriented work. Finally, a third group gathered around the garden host with dozens of questions about growing processes and plant selections. I have no doubt these were the inquisitive children trailing their caregivers with an endless stream of, "But why?"s.
Fortunately, a garden embraces all of these different learning styles, both in children and adults. The resource and grantee story below offer ideas for engaging all learners in a garden space. What diverse design elements or activities do you incorporate into your garden? Let me know so I can share it!
Happy gardening,
Beth
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Our friends at 
"This year we added zucchini, carrots, sweet corn, 2 blueberry bushes, 3 strawberry plants, a blackberry and raspberry plant. We also moved our green bean teepee to a spot outside the garden box for children to be able to use as a fort and gave us more room inside the garden box to add carrots."