Spring 2015 In The KU Garden - Up and Growing : FOUR YEARS STRONG!

Fall was Fun and we have had a great Winter / Spring Session at Kids' University.  Health Issues with Dr. and Mrs. Bell delayed the start of KU until mid-February but 20+ TCC interns signed up to be a part of Wednesday nights at KU and a strong support team from Life Park Christian Fellowship where KU meets kicked off our fourth year on Feb. 11.

Our KU kids are always excited to be outdoors and in the garden.  Whether they are rock skipping or tending to plants, life is always better in the garden.
We watch the tension drain from their faces and soon they're enjoying relationships with our KU interns and feeling part of a team.

Amy and Gabby lead activities with the preschoolers

Caitlin King has been a true God-send this semester as she stepped up to fill the position of Assistant Director.  Caitlin wears many hats as she coordinates each week's activites for children on many different age levels and the leads the Eagle Cadets, our girls junior leaders.  

Caitlin's Grandmother Madge Edmundson is such a vital part of welcoming the children and keeping everyone at their post.  She's a dearly loved member of our KU staff!

Reinforcing the character traits and points of honor we seek to instill in the students, Caitlin has created badges for them as they demonstrate these points.  KU concluded the Spring session with a hot dog roast in the garden and an awards ceremony in which the many kids received awards.

Dallas Cooper has been an integral part of leading the older boys and teaching them gardening and construction skills

The guys have enjoyed the bridge, which is an early construction project of Dr. Bell's to span the entrance to the garden area. An activity is planned for this summer to help them learn various ways to construct items with used lumber and other materials to foster creativity and use resources at hand.

Eric Miller loves this garden and has put in countless hours in the past two years on a weekly basis tending to the preparation of the soil and  harvesting of the vegetables when they are ready in the summer. He has enlisted the help of Larry Pitts who has also put in lots of back breaking work this Spring.

Eric and Lt. Col Jim Erb - who serves as our security

Lora and Reyleigh Obert-Thorn have taken charge of the feeding the KU Kids each week.  They make sure all their food is served up with a huge helping of LOVE!

Just a few of our TCC Interns- Alex, Hang, Alondra and Anh

A highlight of the garden this spring has been the geese that have made the pond their home as it filled up with the early rains.  They made a nest, laid their eggs and the Daddy Goose has stood watch for days on end.

Welcome Fall!

Kids' University is beginning a new session and welcoming Fall with lots of time outdoors and a chance to get to know our new interns. So many kids are coming and we are excited with the opportunity to get to work with them.  We've had over 40 different children -- and many come every week -- so we're having 25-30 each week.  Last week we ran out of T-shirts with 38 students joining us for the evening.

Caitlin King. one of our returning Interns has worked faithfully in planning and helping us to create Tribes with a Native American Theme.  She is a resourceful young woman who has experience with childrens' groups in other venues and offers much to our leadership.  Caitlin will be our Tribe leader for our Girls Eagle Cadets.  She enjoys helping these young girls develop skills
in leading and goal-setting.

nutritious snack-time is still KIDS favorite

We are enjoying more space this year as Life Park Christian Fellowship has opened more of their new educational wing to us.

We have spent the last 2 1/2 years in two small classrooms and one open play area --now we're able to utilize the larger teaching space.

Ayanna and her younger elementary KIDS -- she has a way of helping them stay on task and passes to them her spirit of calmness and peace.

An answer to prayers, Kevin and Tom have returned to help our boys ages 10-14.  They named their Tribe "God's Army"  -- They are doing guy's sized jobs keeping up the garden and other "man jobs".

A KU Summer . . .

 Our theme has been critters and plants in God's creation.

We became explorers and searched for all the creepy crawlies we could find - then looked for tracks of bigger critters
that make their way to our property.

Outdoor fun!!!  Thanks Isaiah for being a great sport!

Thai Basil

 We've been blessed with showers and gentle rains which has helped our KU Gardens tremendously.  Special thanks to Eric Miller for his countless hours watering when the rains haven't come and to Kayla and Lora Obert-Thorn and her children for all the help in clearing, weed-pulling and watering they have done.  We're excited about what's growing!!!

Zuchini!!!!

We remember the summer of 2012 and the tiny handful of dried up veggies we harvested!!!

More squash!

Beans in the background

Peppers under the netting

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Corn - -- just enough to taste!

hotdogs and sampling our squash and watermelon for the 4th

Enjoying the harvest and anticipating great pumpkins and watermelons

We are meeting on Thursdays from 10-12 to enjoy outside activities and sample 
 some of the yummy vegetables that have been growing in the gardens.

Special Thanks to Tomato Man's Daughter Tomato House

64 plants -- Tomatoes, Peppers, Beans --
Heirloom plants -- some even from the Trail of Tears -- all of these beautiful hearty vegetable plants were donated by the Tomato Man Daughter's Tomato House this week.  These large healthy plants will ensure the success of this year's garden.

Terry, Eric and Kayla got them planted soon after and we are anxious to see how they grow and develop.

We FINALLY get to Plant

 We had rainy Mondays, freezing weather and several delays to getting our plants in the ground.

  

 With help from Kayla and Eric we found the garden plots cleared of weeds and ready -- the Kids did get to help clearing a few new weeds that cropped up and turning over the soil

 There was lots of raking, and hoeing, digging and turning over the packed dirt.

Once the soil was ready, the students made a plan for the right place for the various types of plants -- beans, pumpkins, tomatoes and squash

The kids had an awesome time-- and were thrilled to finally get in the garden

Garden is Going and Soon to be Growing

 Monday -- Mar.31 -- second seed planting

 - we planted more peat pots!!!! Kids were so excited they put in lots of seeds --don't know for sure what's in them-- but we had fun filling them up!

Waiting out the weather -- cold springs temperatures mean postponing the planting our seedlings from earlier (Mar.3)

Creating the shade cover to protect from summer's heat.

There is so much preparation that has to be done to  our garden plots -- thanks to Kayla and Eric they are looking much better

Mon - Mar. 7

This week's rain kept us inside -- playing competitive games to strengthen our muscles (maybe that will make gardening digging easier on our muscles)

 Our girl love spending time doing crafts and Mrs.Lora and Reyleigh are so fun to be with!

Our KU Kids enjoy our Interns and love the one-to-one attention they receive from each of them