What better way to teach the children the value of nature than through gardening.  At Heartland Programs, we have two types of gardens that the Full Day Full Year classrooms maintain.  One is a butterfly garden and the other is a vegetable garden.

A great deal of research and hard work has gone into the gardens.  The staff and the children have worked side by side to care for the flowers and the vegetables.  The children and staff have learned what flowers and vegetables grow best, when the best time to plant is, and other valuable information.

The best part for the children and staff is to see the fruits of their labor.  They are excited when they are able to pick the vegetables and taste them.  The children can walk through the butterfly garden and see a variety of flowers and many different "creepy crawlies".  If they watch carefully, they might even be able to witness the life cycle of a butterfly. 

When all the work is done, the children and staff enjoy cooling off and splashing around in the water during their "Water Days".  What better way to spend the "Dog Days of Summer" than splashing around in the cool water with friends!

Heartland Programs works with local partners to serve pregnant women and families with children birth to age five in Dickinson, Ellsworth, and Saline County and can be found on the web at www.usd305.com/headstart.