Junior Master Gardeners
With education and community involvement being a primary focus of Master Gardeners, what better group to include than that of school children? With that in mind, a Junior Master Gardeners program was started in spring of 2008 at the Quitman Elementary School. This entails Master Gardeners and schoolteachers working together to teach children all aspects of gardening. By utilizing specific training materials developed by Texas A&M, and schools providing a space for gardens where they can obtain first-hand experience in getting their hands dirty, children can develop their own gardening skills.
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| Garden Site Allotted | Raised Beds Were Built |
Workbench with sink and water access was built.
By fall the empty lot and raised beds had been transformed into the following showcase:
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In the Fall of 2008 a challenge was given to the young people to create scarecrows out of recycled materials for the fall plant sale and their fall festival. Did they ever rise to the occasion! Their imagination was endless and many scarecrows were assembled with several over 6 feet tall. What fun to see young people in action.
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By Spring of 2009 the program was in full swing under the leadership of the school teachers in the science department and assistance of the Jr. Master Gardener specialists. A Science Day was held at the Governor Jim Hogg Park where several "stations" were set up for the school children to visit and learn, through hands on activities, many aspects of nature.
Children learned to make hats out of any available material that would protect from sun and rain.
They also planted, labeled and watered individual plants to take home and care for.
Approximately 75 children participated in the day's activities and went home with
the knowledge that learning about science through "hands on" activities is fun!