SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Using patterns and shapes, Fort Bend County Master Gardeners brought nature home to 22 elementary school girls on April 11.
It was all part of a class designed to help the Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies earn a “Shapes in Nature” badge. Noise filled the conference room of the Bud O’Shieles Community Center in Rosenberg as the girls counted stones, twigs, leaves and flowers to learn how to create colorful bar graphs illustrating their totals.
They learned about spider webs and created their own design complete with a small spider. They used shapes and designs to create quilt-like squares and explored the Master Gardener demonstration gardens at the County Extension in Rosenberg to find shapes in nature, a requirement of earning their badges. The girls also got a homework assignment to identify at least five birds at their own homes. Master Gardener Marina Balli of Richmond said, “We just get to be a part of planting that seed in their hearts and their minds as well.”
Master Gardener Nancy Utech of Richmond said, “I’m an old Girl Scout leader and I put both my kids through Girl Scouts. It’s an awesome program. You like to give back to programs like that. The Master Gardeners organization is a wonderful place to do that. We have a fantastic group of people in our Youth Activity Committee. The kids have a blast. You make a difference.”
Earth Day is officially celebrated on April 22 every year. But Utech said, “I think of Earth Day as every day, honestly. It’s a beautiful time to be out in the garden to see things. For some of these kids you’re opening their eyes to things they haven’t seen before … just by going out in the gardens or seeing things in nature or looking at things differently and seeing how they can be important or how they can make a difference. They can investigate and figure things out. We’re opening children’s eyes.”
Those sentiments are shared by moms who brought their daughters to the program. Tiffany Fairdosi of Pearland brought her daughter Madelyn, age 6. “She loves being outside and doing anything outdoors. She’s really loves gardening with her dad. They’ve started their own strawberry patch in our backyard.”
“We’re part of Girl Scouts and this is our second year,” said Rosie Clifton of Sugar Land, whose daughter Lidia, age 7, is in second grade. Reasons to participate include the comradery with other girls her age.
“We step outside our box to try new activities and new locations. We’re really excited to gain new experiences.”
And Sarah Jordan of Simonton and mother of Allison, age 7, agrees. “She loves the Girl Scouts and loves learning about nature. She’s always asking questions. I try to provide all the opportunities I can for her to learn.”
Master Donna Blackburn of Sugar Land and FBMG Youth Activities Director, said Shapes in Nature is one of three badges that the Scouts can earn under the Math in Nature series to search for shapes in nature and to find and make patterns.
Master Gardener Annette Beadles of Richmond explained “I’m doing a spider web that is an example of patterns in nature and an example of symmetry. A lot of kids don’t realize that nature is just full of patterns, and I want them to be looking for things. If you see a spider web, don’t tear it down, because that spider web is catching all kinds of insects and that spider is working for us. Just because you’re not familiar with the critter doesn’t mean you need to kill it. We need to have respect for even the tiniest spiders,” added Beadles, a retired teacher and former Camp Fire Girl.
When Beadles began her presentation, she defined patterns as something that repeats and gave examples of a ladybug shell or butterfly wings. “Symmetry, by definition, is the same on both sides,” she added, before the girls used cord to create their own spider webs.
Master Gardener Dee Dee Patton of Houston summed up the class goal: “Today I hope to accomplish an understanding of plants and how they affect us and our livelihood, and I hope the girls will develop an appreciation for nature.”
Comments are closed.