Work to Learn Gardening, a flexible teen small work group event.
Acquiring life skills in landscaping and gardening while practicing socialization skills in a supportive inclusive home based, treed garden. Teens will be given a stipend equivalent to 2 hours minimum wage for participating.
On Thursday, August 22 our planned Work Group hours are around 1 to 3pm. Teens are welcome to arrive early to acquaint themselves to our North Surrey Learning Space or just relax in the yard. Please feel free to come when you can, even if it's later than 1pm, you can hang out for a while after too.
What to Bring suggestions
- sun protection/hat
- insect repellent
- water bottle/something to drink
- favorite snack
- gardening gloves or leather gloves if you have them
- pruning clippers or loppers if you have them.
- closed toe shoes, something long sleeved to protect arms when needed
We will meet next door at North Surrey Learning Space (parking available), I will be out front to welcome you. Since meeting new people can be stressful, I suggest discussing in advance what type of social greeting would be appropriate. I would prefer your teen call me Danna, (rhymes with banana). I want teens to feel comfortable so fistbumps, wave or just hi as a greeting in this situation is good with me. If you want your teen to practice a more traditional greeting with handshake, let me know.
We will start by going on a short walk through of our space (kitchen living room, washroom, music room, workshop, art studio) then head next door to my front yard for work.
Tasks we will be working on in no particular order.
I will show you step by step what to do, then you can take over. Don't worry about making mistakes. Our plants are very forgiving and will grow back.
1. Summer pruning of 2 old Apple trees.
• Prune off all water sprout shoots (suckers) (thin shoots that grow straight up from the tree)
• collect and bundle cut branches, carry to our yard waste pile.
• One apple tree is shown in picture above. This is a basic idea of what tree pruning is for.
2. Collect apples that have fallen to the ground.
Acquiring life skills in landscaping and gardening while practicing socialization skills in a supportive inclusive home based, treed garden. Teens will be given a stipend equivalent to 2 hours minimum wage for participating.
What to Bring suggestions
- sun protection/hat
- insect repellent
- water bottle/something to drink
- favorite snack
- gardening gloves or leather gloves if you have them
- pruning clippers or loppers if you have them.
- closed toe shoes, something long sleeved to protect arms when needed
We will start by going on a short walk through of our space (kitchen living room, washroom, music room, workshop, art studio) then head next door to my front yard for work.
Tasks we will be working on in no particular order.
I will show you step by step what to do, then you can take over. Don't worry about making mistakes. Our plants are very forgiving and will grow back.
• collect and bundle cut branches, carry to our yard waste pile.
• One apple tree is shown in picture above. This is a basic idea of what tree pruning is for.
2. Collect apples that have fallen to the ground.
• bad apples will go to compost
• good usable apples will be washed, cut in half and made into Apple juice with electric juicer.
3. Collect flower seeds and cut back old dead growth.
• good usable apples will be washed, cut in half and made into Apple juice with electric juicer.
3. Collect flower seeds and cut back old dead growth.
• Foxgloves
• Shasta daisy
• phlox
• columbine
• rose campion
• lavender
3. Remove invasive species
I will help you identify these plants and then you will go search for where it's popped up and remove it.
•Yellow Archangel, Lamiastrum galeobdolon
• Morning Glory, Convolvulus arvensis also known as bindweed
• English Ivy
• Variegated gout weed.
• Ox-eye Daisy
4. Prune shrubs back into round shapes. Prune topiary plants back into shape using garden sheers.
• boulevard cypress
• Spirea
• lavender
• laurel
• emerald cedar
I will be contacting Autism Funding to see if this is a program that could be a life skills and socialization program, so that we can continue this type of work to learn event throughout the year. Donations are gratefully accepted during this trial period to cover our costs of paying your teen. We plan to have another 2 work groups next week. Perhaps Thursday or Friday next week.
If you have any questions, please feel free to msg me. I will msg you our address and contact details once you've confirmed your teen will be attending.
Danna
• Shasta daisy
• phlox
• columbine
• rose campion
I will help you identify these plants and then you will go search for where it's popped up and remove it.
•Yellow Archangel, Lamiastrum galeobdolon
• English Ivy
• Variegated gout weed.
• Ox-eye Daisy
• boulevard cypress
• Spirea
• lavender
• laurel
I will be contacting Autism Funding to see if this is a program that could be a life skills and socialization program, so that we can continue this type of work to learn event throughout the year. Donations are gratefully accepted during this trial period to cover our costs of paying your teen. We plan to have another 2 work groups next week. Perhaps Thursday or Friday next week.
If you have any questions, please feel free to msg me. I will msg you our address and contact details once you've confirmed your teen will be attending.
Danna
