The South Delta Garden Club (SDGC) is pleased to announce that educator and Master Gardener Megan Zeni will be the featured speaker at the South Delta Garden Club in-person meeting on Tuesday, June 21.
The meeting is open to anyone interested in gardening.
Zeni’s topic, Playful Gardening with Young Children will focus on how homeowners can prepare their garden spaces so they feel inviting to young children. The presentation will highlight simple design features, which encourage playful exploration of private gardens. Zeni will also review child-friendly vegetables that can be strategically planted to engage children in the joys and wonders of growing and harvesting. And with this year’s late start to the horticultural season, June is an ideal time to help inspire little people in the backyard.
Zeni is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests include pedagogies of place and play in elementary schools. Zeni has 25 years of teaching experience and currently teaches entirely outdoors in a K-7 outdoor and garden classroom.
Zeni suggests that there is no age limit to starting children in the garden; infants enjoy the multi-sensory experience of being outdoors and can be laid out in shady garden spots. Kiddies at the crawling stage can enjoy the garden by being driven around in a wheelbarrow. Toddlers can be given small tools to play with in the dirt as a way to begin to capture their interest. The pandemic has accelerated interest in the outdoors and provides a timely lens through which to teach children.
A key principle that the educator emphasizes in her consulting work with schools and that also applies to parents and grandparents introducing children and grandchildren to gardening is to not let the learning be adult-directed but rather child-originated.
The meeting will be held at Ladner Christian Reformed Church at 4594 54A St., in Delta. Doors open at 7 p.m. Speaker presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Entrance and parking are around the back. All are welcome. Cost to members is free. Guests: $10 at the door. The guest fee for this event may be credited towards the purchase of an annual membership.
The South Delta Garden Club is comprised of 138 local gardening enthusiasts who gather to share information in a positive social environment. Club activities include day tours, visits to garden club members’ gardens, workshops, work parties and fundraising events to support community projects. Featured speaker events are open to both members and the public.
For more information about the Club and its activities, including monthly speakers, visit www.southdeltagardenclub.ca or contact club vice-president Susan Lilholt at: susan.lilholt@gmail.com or call 604-306-1079.
