By Susan Alexander, OSRUI Associate Director
It’s been longer than I had hoped since my last blog post…but for good reason! I have been so busy getting the environmental program ready for the summer – only 34 days until camp!
On April 25th, the children that were on the family retreat with Congregation Etz Chaim were the first group to ever work in the greenhouse. They were great! They entered just as the plants on one side of the greenhouse were being watered. There is an automatic sprinkling system that waters everything twice daily. Anyway, back to the children – as I was helping to dry them off, I did explain that the water makes the plants grow, but not so much children. They did love that sprinkler.
Once dry, they were very interested in seeing the tiny seeds that we start with and all the plants that were growing. We talked about how Adam* was mandated to care for the garden and how we all have to be aware, careful and willing to take care of the garden, and the earth.
We then talked about the “community garden” (our congregational community) that we are planting. This garden will be filled with pumpkins and different kinds of squash and gourds that should be ready to harvest right around Sukkot. The children each planted pumpkin and gourd seeds – and they have begun to grow already!! I then asked them to draw pictures of how they envision the gardens being laid out. The pictures were amazing and I am truly going to consider some of their ideas. Each participant received a green OSRUI headband for their efforts. I could say we all really “dug” the afternoon, or the hour was very “fruitful,” but I will not. Let’s just say the afternoon “sprouted’ some great ideas and was lots of sun, I mean fun!!
Last weekend the Women of Reform Judaism, Midwest District, had a wonderful retreat at camp. They all visited the greenhouse, which they helped to fund, and were beyond excited. Barbara Gordon and I then took some of the greenhouse plants and planted them in the large gan, (garden), behind the Nerenberg Family Center. I can’t wait to see how much they have grown with all the rain we have had this week.
On my next trip to camp, I will be planting more things in the garden and starting more plants from seed. I look forward to each task that is involved with this project. Once our Teva staff arrives at camp they will be doing so much to add to what has been started. Watch for the “To Till and To Tend,” blog next week – for the latest updates.
*“When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: “Look at my works! See how beautiful they are – how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13)
Check out the first post in the “To Till and To Tend” blog series: “Petting” the Leaves