Community Ecology

Every creature, no matter how small, plays a role in our community. Whether it be the ladybug who feeds on aphids, or the honeybee who pollinates the plants, every part of our environment plays a crucial part in sustaining balance and diversity.

Kids Grow! participants enjoyed learning about the unique community ecology of our garden through a fun storytelling activity. Everyone received a card with a particular plant, animal, or element that would inspire their part of an oral round-robin. The activity encouraged radical creativity, but also revealed useful information about each card. We learned that through their tuberous roots, dandelions draw essential minerals to nutrient poor surface soils. We also discovered that spiders, although kind of scary, help control fly populations (and sometimes save the planet from giant worms!)

Strategizing in the safe zone.

After a brief juicy- apple snack break we got our bodies moving with a heart-pumping game of Capture the Crops! We divided the field in half and one side was occupied by the farmer and his crops. The other side was occupied by various creatures whose objective was to capture the crops and return them to the safe zone. The creatures, a motley crew of squirrels, slugs, and ants, were very successful in their endeavours and even managed, at one point, to capture the farmer and hold her hostage! This demonstrates the power of numbers, and the success that can be achieved when harnessing the talents of each memebr of a community.

Weeding the orchard: A community effort!