DIRT PARK LEARNING CENTER - GUERILLA GARDENING - FREE FUN FOR THE FAMILY
If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary to do with the family then you should try out one of DIRT's workshops. DIRT actually means Direct Involvement Recreation Teaching. Their main focus is teaching the community by getting your hands dirty and doing. They have built a learning park where kids and their parents can dig, build and use their imaginations. During the winter months they bring things inside to the Central Point Library and various other destinations, with activities that teach through hands on learning.
We had the opportunity to attend a workshop called, Guerilla Gardening or Seeds in a Ball. We started out by watching a video about seed balls and how they are an ancient technique of planting without having to actually interrupt the soil with tools. It helps keep the soil healthy, keeping the natural eco-system working rather than destroying all of its hard work. After the video the kids were given the opportunity to get dirty!
The kids started out by teaming up in pairs and each team had a bucket between them. First, they poured in the compost.
A finished seed ball.
We didn't throw them into our garden right away because it was too wet outside and we didn't want the birds to munch on the seeds because they disintegrated in the rain. We waited until it was a litte warmer out and then just threw the balls out into our garden and voila' before we knew it we had wildflowers growing!
As you can see the experience was complete immersive. The kids were in control and allowed to have fun while learning; it was a great afternoon activity for all of us to enjoy. If you want to go learn, more head over to DIRT Park Learning Center's website where you can also sign up for their newsletter and register. All of the programs are FREE of charge and are open to all ages, but they do happily accept donations.
For more fun free things to do as a family visit our FREE EVENTS.