Garden Sprouts
Weekly go-outside-and-get-your-hands-dirty lessons taught by our staff to 160 pre-school children enrolled in Fredericksburg Head Start, Virginia Preschool Initiative, and Early Childhood Special Ed at the Walker Grant Center during the entire school year. The 3- and 4- year-olds learn where their food comes from, tend their gardens, smell flowers and herbs, taste fruits and vegetables, and spend time outside in their garden classroom.
Youth Farm Program
Our Youth Farm Program is a summer program that runs from May to October (the summer and fall growing season). We teach the participants a garden-to-table concept. They grow the food from seed, care for it, harvest it, and then preparing a dish with fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden. The goal is to show the participants the hard work that goes into the process it takes for our food to get to the table even on a small scale. We also encourage the participants to try new food. We feel that people are more willing to try things they grow and cook themselves. If your group or organization would like more information about the Youth Farm Program, please contact Khalila Brooker at education@downtowngreens.org.
Field Trips
A field trip to Downtown Greens usually takes 1.5 to 2 hours with a group of 20 children or less. For example, home school groups, a single class touring the garden, girl scout groups, and sororities typically have 20 or less attending. A group of more than 20 will typically take 2 to possibly 2.5 hrs. To learn more about our field trip options, please see below.
Youth Programs
Field Trips
What to expect
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When you arrive for your field trip, you will have time to assure everyone arrives, make sure all waivers are signed, and do a roll call before we begin.
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Your visit will then begin with a welcome and introduction to the gardens of Downtown Greens.Â
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You will tour the Upper Garden, which will include the urban food gardens, the compost system, and the Take What You Need Garden.
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There will be a garden activity or task during which you will plant, harvest, or clear something in the garden for the season.
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The children will get dirty! So, please make sure they dress appropriately. We will provide gloves if they will be needed for the garden task.
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You will get to do a garden-related craft. The children will make something to take back with them to remember their visit.
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Your visit will conclude with a wrap-up, during which you'll have time to ask questions about what you've learned or about the garden in general. We will also give out stickers and if there is time, we may be able to do a scavenger hunt.
There are several different lessons we offer for field trips including Pollinator Roll Call, Flowers Talk: the Secret Life of Flowers, and Beginning Garden Basics. We are planning for other lessons as well, so if there is a particular topic you have in mind, please reach out to our Education Manager to see if we can accommodate your request.
With every field trip there will be a garden activity/task and a garden-related craft. The garden activity/task will depend on the size of the group, the ages of the participants, availability of supplies, and the season.
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Field trips are $7 per child. We require one chaperone for every six children. A signed waiver must be provided for each child, however children living in the same household can be listed on one waiver form.Â
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