A New Learning Garden for COG
Around April of this year, I was blessed with the opportunity to build a garden for the Children of Grace preschool, with the support of Mrs. Meg McPeek and Mrs. Liz Katz. As a Girl Scout, I was already aiming to earn my Gold Award, the most prestigious community service award a Scout can receive from her council. To have the chance to earn it by giving back to this community was an honor I never expected, and as such I was determined to make this garden everything COG needed it to be. I hope I came close to hitting the mark!
The garden is a space geared towards providing many sensory experiences and learning opportunities to young minds. It has multicolored flowers, plants with interesting textures, and a wind chime. It also comes with a curriculum and a care plan, to ensure it can be well-loved by many classes in the years to come.
Now, in July, with the project nearly finished, I am able to step back and reflect on the COG garden project as a whole. The journey from conceptualization to completion has not been my journey alone—my family, friends, and supporters have been with me every step of the way, and it is with their guidance and contributions that the garden has been brought to life. I would like to especially thank Mr. Jim Bradley, who provided wonderful guidance and support throughout the building process.
As the new school year approaches, I look forward to seeing how the garden is appreciated by the students exploring it.
Evelyn Higginbotham