Kids Garden Club program is complete for the second year at the Yankton Boys & Girls Club in South Dakota. Kids learn what plants need to grow, how to plant and tend their garden of favorite vegetables and fruits and new ones to try, hear about health benefits of fresh produce, and share plenty of tasting opportunities along the way.
Interim Executive Director Chelsea Lang, 1st– 5thgrade Coordinator Koty Matthiesen, and Teen Director Meredeth Rife sing praises of co-leaders and volunteers who worked with 1st– 5thgraders during the summer session and 3rd– 5thgraders in the fall. Kids Garden Club fits well with Boys & Girls Club goals of academic success, character and leadership development and healthy lifestyles.
Horticulturist Cindy Nelsen and Yankton County 4-H Youth Development head Katie Doty are co-leaders of the Kids Garden Club. Doty provides the “Learn, Grow, Eat, Go” curriculum and they lead sessions with kids who choose to attend. Missouri Valley Master Gardener volunteers assist in the activities. Mary Milroy and Shann Doerr are helping this day in September as 3rd– 5thgraders harvest produce from their on-site raised-bed garden and prepare it for the evening meal available to all Boys & Girls Club kids.
Once the tomatoes and vegetables were washed and ready, the kids prepared the meal. Tonight, they are making Bruschetta with chopped cherry tomatoes and cheese, a side dish of chopped vegetables and watermelon for dessert.
For comments from the adults who lead kids with Kids Garden Club, see this article that appeared in the Yankton Press & Dakotan newspaper:
If you want to find out how the Kids Garden Club started, see “Idea + Boys & Girls Club = Garden Club for Kids” under Vegetables and Fruits heading in the right column of this page.
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