Gleaning Greens and Chasing Chickens


Spending time with kids in the garden can be so much fun! Take the after-school program at Booker T. Washington Community Service Center on April 12, 2012. This group of six kindergartners, busy clipping off leaves of kale, chard and spinach, were so enthusiastic and proud to share their knowledge and wonder of growing things. They took their bowls of greens and then separated leaves by types. It didn’t hurt that they found pill or sow bugs that roll into a ball, or pincher bugs that look ugly and scary but are not poisonous and don’t bite. Who was going to hold them first? Such fearlessness as they shared the bugs from one hand to another. Finding a snail was also a great reward, watching it wiggle around and stretch its body out of its shell.
The best part of the afternoon by far was going into the chicken coop and feeding the greens to the chickens. The joy of capturing the birds was matched by feathers flying and birds darting for safety. Thank goodness these chickens are tolerant souls. What a great way for the kids to spend the afternoon!