Summer Science Begins with Trips to Green Gulch Farm

The summer is a busy time for CommunityGrows, working with twelve partner groups, taking their youth to our learning gardens and on field trips. We started the fun on June 22, 2012 with a trip to Green Gulch Farm in Marin County, with youth from the African American Arts and Culture Complex and the YMCA Beacon. Green Gulch Farm, run by the San Francisco Zen Center, has long been a supporter of CommunityGrows, providing starts for our gardens and field trips during the summer. It is often the first time students have been out of the City and the first time on a farm. After arriving on the bus, youth gather for lunch and then break into groups with farm docents. Their travels lead them along flower paths, fruit orchards and fields of greens. Then they’re off to learn about bees and see a real hive in action. They visit the compost piles and learn about the heat that’s generated from breaking down food scraps into beautiful soil. One of the highlights of the day is walking through the lower fields of Green Gulch to the ocean and Muir Beach. All in all, this was truly a great adventure in the outdoors with wide open spaces and lots to explore. Two more trips to Green Gulch are scheduled with different groups of youth this summer.