Roots and Shoots

My middle kids are taking a gardening workshop at their Learning Center and you would be surprised to see the things that are sprouting around here! From left to right we have a Venus fly-trap, a terreruim, two lima bean sprouts, a potted plant and a sweet potato that looks like an ivy.

Our front porch is home to a variety of little succulents and an ivy plant.

And finally, this is our feeble attempt at a

"water-wise-fall-flower garden." We tilled the soil, added fertilizer, carefully picked and planted our seeds, but I guess the combination of hot days and cold nights does not yield a very plentiful garden. We have had our share of unfriendly visitors: namely our dog and three cats, who can frequently been seen napping in this area, but there wasn't much we could do about their access to our little patch of earth short of installing spikes or an electric-shocking device on the picket fence......I am only kidding! There is no animal cruelty going on here, what would St. Francis think of me?

Anyhow, these little bits of green give the kids just enough responsibility to take care of something "living", they add beauty to our otherwise dead-leaf strewn yard, dusty porch, cluttered kitchen AND they provide opportunities for learning. The sprouts in the first picture and the sweet potato have great root systems developing and since the glass is clear, the kids get to keep an eye on how the roots grow. Daughter Dearest was overheard mentioning to Middle Son that her "root system" was "stronger" than his. It makes my head swell with pride to hear them speak of such things! Now, go plant something............