Contributed by E. Dianne Campbell
Carysbrook Elementary School second graders celebrated Earth Day at Pleasant Grove Park on April 24…and what a celebration it was!
About 240 students, along with parents and grandparents, explored the park while learning about nature, Fluvanna’s agricultural heritage, the wonders of the woods and the importance of pollinators. The program brought together the efforts of Fluvanna’s Cooperative Extension Office, Fluvanna Master Gardeners and Piedmont Master Naturalists.
Organized into six groups, with two classes per group, the children rotated through a series of hands-on educational activities. A nature hike through the woods highlighted animal habitats and unique specimens. The Nature Museum next to the historic house offered a close-up look at unusual artifacts. Students compared their wingspans to those of birds, while the Farm Museum demonstrated how food was produced in earlier times. Near the Butterfly Garden, they learned about pollinators and how a beehive functions.
Lunch — an important part of the day — was held in the park’s pole barn.
The Earth Day celebration has become a much-anticipated event for second graders since it began in 2015. Inspired by Master Gardener Walter Hussey and his late wife, Marie, the inaugural event included students planting the first seeds in what is now known as the Butterfly Garden. At the time, it was only the second pollinator garden in the state.
Since then, the garden has become a popular year-round destination at Pleasant Grove Park. It has been expanded with a protective fence and a greenhouse, both made possible through private donations.
Each spring, the Cooperative Extension program and Fluvanna Master Gardeners also organize activities designed to engage students in learning about nature, including a Children’s Garden at Carysbrook and Ag Day programs at both Carysbrook and Central elementary schools.
For more information on events and activities, visit the Master Gardener website.
