Capture to Rapture: Programs that Help Children Appreciate Plants
by Elizabeth Waugh, Children’s Education Coordinator
Plants are stunning, beautiful, useful, and dynamic...yet sometimes it takes a little convincing for children to see all their wonders. Plants and gardens take time and patience, and it can be hard to compete with the excitement of seeing a painted turtle at the ponds or a monarch butterfly chrysalis. So how do we capture the interest of our youngest visitors in the world of plants?
Student sketching flora in Glasshouse. Photo credit: E. Waugh
Adjusting the lens through which our students view flora can encourage them to view plants in a different light. By piggybacking on already popular themes and topics we can show students how plants are connected to art, culture, history, science, and much more.
This fall we took students back in time— to the Mesozoic Era to be exact— and explored the world of the dinosaurs by examining the plants that have survived from that time period, such as the staghorn fern in the Glasshouse and the umbrella magnolia trees in the Native Plant Garden.
We became wizards and witches during our “Plant Potions” program, studying the many uses for mugwort and fleabane, mixing herbal concoctions to treat various ailments.
We utilized storytelling to emphasize the connections between plants and legends and myths of the past in “Harmonious Harvest,” making music with gourds and listening to mesmerizing Indigenous American stories of corn, pumpkins, and squash.
Our mission is to create lifelong stewards of nature and to foster a love and appreciation for horticulture and gardens. Plants are cool! Taking a creative approach can capture the attention of our students and ultimately enrapture them.
