Hands-On Plant Science

“Oh you found it! Look, it’s a baby flower,” exclaimed Ava M., pointing to a paperwhite bulb her teacher had cut in half. 

A kindergartener in Bright Futures Saturdays, PCYC’s K-5 enrichment program, she and a dozen other students were surprised to see a miniature stem, petals and leaves inside, all patiently waiting for spring’s arrival.

“Observing, measuring, collecting, communicating your findings — through these hands-on experiences with plants, we help young people develop science process skills,” said Randy Gage, Learning Center Program Coordinator at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. 

One Saturday a month, students learn about different aspects of the growing cycle: how to care for the earth, how to plant seeds, how to nurture those seeds so that they grow into plants and how and when to harvest them. 

“To me, gardening is life,” said Ford. “When I have kids they’re going to be in the garden, in the mud, learning how to grow their own food, and I treat Bright Futures students as if they were my own. These are just good life skills for kids to have.”

Some days the students look at the fruits and vegetables under microscopes. Other days they learn how to prepare what they’ve grown in a recipe. On this particular Saturday, the children were learning how to fool different kinds of bulbs into thinking it’s spring. 

“Our fridge is full of bulbs right now,” laughed Amina Omar, whose daughter Stormy was one of those in attendance. “They told us to put them in the fridge, then after two weeks take them out and start watering them.”

At least one future gardener was born on Saturday.

“I like to plant,” declared eight-year-old Stormy. “It surprised me that I like to plant and grow fruits and vegetables.”