Last spring, an experimental children’s garden was added in the Danny Woo Community Garden. Children from nearby Nihonmachi Terrace Family Housing planted fruits and vegetables. They also learned how to identify the different parts of plants, used their imaginations to create their own make-believe plants, and made stamped artworks using the dyes from plants.
Experiences like outdoor gardening give children a sense of accomplishment—and hope. Our young gardeners are immigrants or have immigrant parents, and all come from low-income backgrounds. They have few opportunities to play in green spaces where their imaginations and creativity can flourish. As young gardeners, they felt pride in planting plum trees, tomatoes, strawberries, beets, beans, and herbs.
Cultivating this pride and sense of ownership for a community garden helps us grow the next generation of good environmental stewards who will care about sustainability—not just environmental sustainability, but social and community sustainability as well.
In the summer of 2009, we will expand the Children’s Garden, thanks to a grant from the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods and the many individual donors who contributed to the Children’s Garden at our 2008 gala. Your donation to InterIm CDA helps support this expansion and future children’s gardens.
