On June 1st and 2nd, 80 children from the preschool, pre-kindergarten, interim-kindergarten, kindergarten, and elementary classes rode for a cause at our first annual roll-a-thon! The children raised over $2000 in pledges to help local child cancer patients from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, NH. A raffle, bake sale, and lemonade stand also raised funds for this amazing cause. The kids had a blast riding around our own circle and were so proud of the number of laps they did! Almost all of the children rode over a half mile (7.14 laps) with most riding between a mile (14.27 laps) to almost four miles! Their smiles and laughter were a testament to a successful couple of days and the knowledge that they were riding “to help sick kids get better.”
Playing in the dirt is a fun for a child of any age and at The Nature of Things we like going home with a little dirt under our fingernails. Gardening with children offers many benefits besides tasty food and beautiful flowers. It teaches patience, resp
onsibility, and accountability. Growing schoolyard gardens also instills a sense of pride and accomplishment. Through gardening, children also learn the importance of taking care of living things and begin to appreciate the value of the physical work that goes into such tasks. Moreover, they realize what fresh picked vegetables look like before they are cleaned, waxed, packaged, shipped, and displayed in a grocery store. Children also learn valuable lessons such as eating healthy, respecting their environment, working cooperatively with others to help their garden grow, hands-on exploration, the wonders of science, and a plant’s life cycle.
