This Spring we thought it would be a good idea to introduce the concept of indoor gardening with a focus on herbs. Herbs are such a crucial type of plant, not only do they make your recipes taste extra good, they also provide a lot of medicinal qualities that are very beneficial. While it's common to use planters, even paper products, we decided to try our luck with mason jars. Some of the staff is familiar with gardening while others, such as myself, are learning along with the kids and we are all amazed at how fairly simple it is to grow a basil plant inside. These herbs are also easily transferable into an outdoor garden if ever desired.
The herbs we are currently working with are basil, oregano, cilantro, and lavender. Mason jars were purchased for each student along with seeds, soil and rock. We are happy that everyone is learning more than they expected and enjoying the process more than they may have expected. This is a great lesson to teach younger youth about patience, attention to detail (via research), discipline and empathy. Some of the students have even named their plants.
Along with the planting process, the students are exploring their chosen herbs in detail by compiling a growth data sheet, research facts, and a creating informational posters about their favorite new pieces of information that they would like to share with others. We are very excited to continue this unit as a branch of Project HAND by empowering the youth of ALEC to be creative with their available resources and learn that sometimes it just takes a little bit of ingenuity to create something in an unlucky environment; A lesson all of this are wise to keep close to us.
If you are curious about starting your own indoor garden, stop by sometime and we will do our best to point you in the right direction.
Enjoy this spring weather and be well.
Ms. Christa
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