Youth learned gardening, leadership, and public speaking at EMGV course
The fifth Junior Master Gardener course was held in July by The Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Lenoir County (EMGV). The course, produced by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, is an international youth gardening program that aligns with the mission of the NC Extension Master Gardener course. The program taught by the EMGV is geared towards 3rd – 8th graders. It allows youth participants to be enrolled in 4-H (if they are not already), be immersed in horticulture, as well as gain leadership skills and public speaking skills.
The 2024 Junior Master Gardener course, held over a two-week time period, had 10 youth participants. Many of the EMGV, as well as Consumer Horticulture Agent Paige Petticrew taught the course. Topics including (but not limited to) plant parts, plant propagation, hydroponics, recycling, composting, and insects were delved into with the youth participants. The raised beds at the extension office maintained by the EMGV are great teaching tools that are also utilized during the course. The group also traveled to the landfill in LaGrange, and to Raleigh, specifically visiting the NCSU Agroecology Farm, NCSU Fox Greenhouse, and NCSU Soil Pits.
Each day youth participants completed many hands-on activities to ensure the topics taught were being fully understood. The participants planted different flowers and herbs to take home during different parts of the course, and share with their families. Youth participants thought through their dream gardens noting the importance of water location, soil type, and other “ends and out” of gardening. Each made a vermicomposting bin to take home and discussed how composting happens, with and without worms! An EMGV brought in venus flytraps, discussed how special they are, and only are located in specific areas (such as our coastal area.) Participants were able to see division of a group of these plants, as well as proper planting techniques with such a special plant. Youth were most excited when a fly was caught and they assisted in feeding one of the traps.
Kelly Tyndall, Family and Consumer Agent, met with the youth participants at the Farmers Market when the market was open. The participants were able to speak to the different patrons at the market about how they bring items to sell, and how the process goes. Kelly taught the participants the importance of understanding food labels, and discussed MyPlate. MyPlate is the official symbol of the five food groups, and participants traced their hand to symbolize the five food groups to design their meal! Class was held that day at the Kitchen Annex and participants were able to see a commercial kitchen and ask questions about the different types of equipment used in that setting.
Paige along with Abbigail Wells and Joel Dixon, 4-H Agents, and Emily Johnson, NCSU Summer Intern, held a discussion on natural and synthetic dyes. The youth participants were able to choose from different fruits and vegetables and create their own natural dye. Items such as red cabbage, onion skin, and spinach were among the choices. The dye was then used to color a camp shirt for an example. Synthetic dyes were used by participants to then color their camp shirt to be able to wear on the NCSU field trip.
The youth participants also experienced an intergenerational session, where one of their course days was held at the Lenoir Council on Aging Senior Center. Seniors were invited to sit in with the youth to learn all about herbs. A task assigned to each participant was to research an assigned herb, and present their findings at the Senior Center. The youth assisted the seniors in planting a herb garden to take home. The seniors also participated in plant bingo with the youth. Lots of laughter was shared among the participants, and lots of learning took place not only about herbs, but on patience and the importance of kindness.
Youth participants were given multiple opportunities to public speak in front of their peers, and did it with such ease. Paige stated, “This course teaches participants about much more than horticulture. It teaches them how to speak in front of different audiences, how to work together as a group and individually, how to problem solve, and how to think about the environment on a larger scale.” While this course is only taught once a year during the summer, participants of past courses are encouraged to help the EMGV during other activities such as the plant sale, at the Children’s Garden, and others to continue developing their love for horticulture as well as developing their skills to work with others.
As you flip through the attached images, you get a small sense of what the youth participants were able to do throughout the course!
The application for the program comes out in February typically, and can be found at the extension office. For more information on our program and events follow our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/lenoirmastergardeners . You can also follow the Extension Office in Lenoir County’s facebook page for events, https://www.facebook.com/NCCELenoirCounty/ . You can also reach out to our Consumer Horticulture Agent Paige Petticrew via email at plherrin@ncsu.edu.
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