September In The Community Garden

 

A Tiny Hiker’s Adventures in a Community Garden

In September we spend our Friday afternoon either at the community garden in Massachusetts or at a park in Rhode Island. Both places have a playground, but our tiny hiker was keen on exploring the community garden or running along a trail. The community garden was the highlight of September. There was always something going on. Always exciting. Whether it was the seasonal changes of the garden beds or the people we met tending to their plants, or the heat wave or the dogs we’d meet.

As a backdrop, a community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people. Among the rows of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, there's a common purpose.  In our bustling, tech-driven society, it’s wonderful to find our young adventurer so absorbed in the natural world. This urban oasis has nuances to be fern-scrutinized, lessons to be leaf-learned, and most importantly, experiences to be growth-gained that no tablet or toy could offer.  Our tiny hiker began his park day in the garden. Finding a watering can his first stop would be any random garden bed he thought needed watering. He helped water these growing sunflower giants, learning about responsibility, gentleness, and natural cycles all the while.

The garden is his sensory playground – our tiny hiker’s paradise. Different textures, from the rough bark of the trees to the smooth, petal-soft skin of a ripe tomato, stimulate his tactile senses. The colors around are a swirling palette - green leaves, red berries, yellow marigolds - nurturing his visual perception. The orchestra of bird songs, buzzing bees, and rustling leaves amplifies his auditory sense. The fragrances of blooms and earth define his olfactory experience.

As our mini-naturalist wandered, he chances upon the fascinating garden creatures – from ladybugs to earthworms. These encounters provided a first-hand understanding of biodiversity and life in the garden ecosystem.  The community garden, like the great outdoors, proves to be an excellent teacher. It introduces the importance of shared spaces, as he observes community members tending to the garden. He learns the art of sharing space and harvesting. These actions plant the seeds of community empathy and togetherness.

Watching the journey of our tiny hiker paints a clear image: the community garden is not just a place to grow produce but also a place to cultivate curiosity, responsibility, and appreciation for the cycle of life. It embodies a learning environment that is organic, fun, nurturing, and beneficial for the overall development of the child. Our tiny hiker in a community garden may not be as dramatic as conquering a mountain peak quite yet, but it's an adventure, an exploration, an early initiation into the wonders of the natural world - right in the heart of a community.

Taking a leaf from our little explorer’s book - every day presents a new opportunity for discovery. No matter how small we start, every step towards nature is a big leap towards environmental awareness and a healthier, happier life.

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