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Children’s Gardening Club at Festina Lente
September 17, 2016 - October 29, 2016
A fun & educational gardening club for children aged from 5-10 years old throughout the year linking gardens and the environment, where children can interactively learn about plants, wildlife and the environment and giving children giving a perfect opportunity to discover more about sowing seeds, testing soil, insects and mini-beasts, importance of encouraging wildlife into the garden, simple propagation, trees, herbs and harvesting seasonal crops.
Children’s 7 Week Gardening Club for Autumn 2016
A 7 week hands-on autumn season themed gardening club for kids aged from 5-10 years old, running on Saturdays from 11am-1pm from 17th September to 29th October 2016, and price is €70.
Club members will receive a membership pack including their membership card and will learn about plants, seed sowing, planting out, weeding, soil types, garden mini-beasts, trees and plants.
Places are limited so don’t wait too long to book your child’s place!
Saturday 17th September 11.00-1.00: Plant life cycles and seed/ bulb sowing.
Most plants start life as seeds or bulbs. Learn about the life cycle of a plant from these humble beginnings to mature flower/or to their final stage as compost. Plant up seeds and bulbs (into compost) and monitor the growth stages of your plant throughout the next 7 weeks. Plant up a stocking to make a funky cress head- you can cut his or her hair – and eat it!
Saturday 24th September 11.00-1.00: Soil, compost and manure.
Time to get your hands dirty! What is soil really made from? Take a closer look to find out. What are the differences between garden compost and ‘shop’ compost? Why is manure good for your roses? Take soil samples from the garden and test with your pH kit to find out which kinds of plants are best suited to that soil.
Saturday 1st October 11.00-1.00: Mini-beasts!
A vital part of every garden! Beetles and bumblebees, woodlice and wasps, aphids and ants, lacewings and ladybirds- they all have their place in the garden whether we like them or not! Find out more about beneficial beasties and pesky pests. Make a ladybird house to take home to help your flying friends which hibernate in the winter.
Saturday 8th October 11.00-1.00: Trees
Trees in a garden are beautiful. They provide shade and shelter, homes for wildlife, maybe flowers or fruit or leaf litter for compost. They give a garden extra height and colour and a place to play… Explore the biodiversity associated with native Irish trees and make a giant tree poster to take home.
Saturday 15th October 11.00-1.00: Weeding
Dandelions and daisies, buttercups and bindweed, poppies and plantain…. What are weeds and why do try to get rid of them? What happens if we don’t? Do weeds have other uses? Identify common weeds and do some light weeding.
Saturday 22nd October 11.00-1.00: Herbs, Potting on and propagation
Let’s look back at our seeds sown in week 1. Time to prick out seedlings and pot on. Take a walk around the garden and identify different herbs and their uses in cooking and medicine. Propagate some mint and geranium cuttings.
Saturday 29th October 11.00-1.00: Harvest time
Fruity and fun! Time for toffee apples – pick your own apple from our trees to make gorgeous sticky toffee apples then choose a big fat pumpkin from our pumpkin patch to carve a Halloween Jack O ’Lantern.
Children will need to wear old clothes as this is a hand on practical gardening club and clothes for the different types of Irish weather, ie rain gear, warm clothes. Children will need to bring a snack with them.
Please email andrea@festinalente.ie if you have any queries, please include your telephone number in your email.