Sprouts 2025 Program Overview at Staatsburg Library
Join us for an afterschool garden club led by Kaitlin Doherty of Dirty Gaia and Candace Gallagher of Pollinator Patrol. Together, we’ll sow and grow herbs, flowers, and veggies in our square-foot gardens! Along the way, we’ll explore life within the soil, enjoy garden taste tests, create garden art, stretch with garden yoga, and have lots of fun! We’ll start each session with an opening circle and warm-up activity. Then, we’ll dig into some gardening and hands-on science and art projects and finish the day with a garden taste test and closing circle. We are accepting 18 children from K-5th grade from 5:30-6:30pm in the garden.
Simultaneously we will be offering a class for adults inside the library. Participants will learn how to create their own gardens at home, explore varieties of vegetables, learn some new recipes and help participate in planting the Staatsburg Community Garden. Everyone will receive seeds and information for their own successful home garden.
Day One: It starts with soil
Welcome to the garden club! After we welcome students and review Garden Club expectations, we’ll explore our garden space with a Garden Scavenger Hunt. Next, we’ll work in small groups to fill our milk crate gardens with soil, plant lettuce, and paint garden name tags. We’ll also explore the world of dirt and dirt-loving creatures using our magnifying glasses. To end the class, we’ll learn about Taste Testing, taste our very own salad greens, and make some pony bead snakes.
Day One for Adults: Knowing Your Backyard
Participants are encouraged to bring a map of their own property. Details on how to do so will be provided at registration and computer services available at the library on Day Learn the best location for various vegetables in your own garden based on soil quality, sun, water, and other factors.
Day Two: Getting to Know Our Plants Pals
This week, we will learn all about companion plants. We’ll warm up with a color scavenger hunt. Next, we’ll work in small groups to plant pollinator-friendly companion plants, do some garden chores, and paint pet rocks for our gardens. To end the class, we’ll taste test a delicious cucumber dill salad and get garden fancy with some garden bling!
Day Two for Adults: A surprise guest speaker to answer your garden questions!
Day Three: All about those Beans & Bees!
Today, we’ll explore the world of pollinators. We’ll warm up with a Bee Scavenger Hunt, getting to know the different pollinators and their habitats. Then, we’ll work in small groups to plant beans, craft a garden pinwheel, and make our bee hotels from upcycled materials. Finally, we’ll taste test honey sticks (thank you, bees) and green beans and finish the day with some pipe cleaner bubble fun.
Day Three for Adults: Beans, Beans, and more Beans!
Sue Sie with Dirty Gia will talk about how many varieties of one vegetable there can be! Explore the advantages and disadvantages of growing certain varieties of beans and other vegetables in your garden. Sue will also share a cooking demonstration to help you get excited about all the amazing food you can grow and cook from your own garden.
Day Four: Garden Party! Staatsburg
On our final day of garden club, we’ll remember all the fantastic things we’ve learned with a round of garden club trivia. Children and adults will all join in the community garden to help plants. Then, we’ll work in small groups to finish planting our gardens with basil and cherry tomatoes and plant some seedlings to bring home. Finally, we’ll celebrate our fun and hard work by creating and enjoying a special caprese salad taste test and making flower crowns.
Then later in the summer we will have a summer feast, inviting everyone who participated and members of the community to join us in the Community Garden. We will offer a tour of the garden, have a garden feast, tasting the different food we grew, and share what we learned with others.
Dirty Gaia Gardening Resources