Lots of kids love playing in the dirt, but they can do it with a purpose Tuesday at the Richmond Hill Farmers Market in J.F. Gregory Park.
The Richmond Hill Garden Club will be on hand at the market from 2:30-7 p.m. for a Green Thumb Kids booth, offering a chance for young ones to try their hand at planting and growing.
“We’re hoping to foster a love of planting and gardening in kids very young,” said Toni Rose with the Richmond Hill Garden Club.
With the free activity, each child will get a plastic cup and some potting soil and a small seedling to plant in their cup. They will also get a handout of easy care instructions for their new plant and a game coupon to the garden club’s annual Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 5.
The kids will be planting coleus, what Rose called a hardy plant that is easy to grow.
“There will be lots of volunteers — parents can also help out or just stand back and watch. We’ll make it fairly easy,” Rose said.
“We’re just trying to get kids interesting in hands-on gardening.”
Rose said there is no specific age range for the project but noted it is geared toward younger children.
“Kids have to start somewhere,” she said. “It’s good if you can provide them with their own space to work … even their own tools and gloves — it makes it more personal for them.
Once a child’s interest in sparked in gardening, Rose said, it creates an opportunity for increasing education about things like the environment.
“This is just another way we can be involved in our community and create some beauty in our surroundings,” she said.