Gopal Garden Kids Play Dirty
by Tapapunjah das
The students from New Vrindaban’s home schooling co-op braved the windy, rainy weather conditions last Friday to descend on the Teaching Garden for their second of twenty two outdoor classes called, “Lessons in Nature.â€
“They’re very enthusiastic and really learning some valuable life skills,â€said Bindu Sarovara Dasi, who is helping to organize the outings. In case you’re wondering where the Teaching Garden is, it’s that roadside garden directly across from the Palace Lodge that hosts a few thousands visitors each summer.
What the kids seemed to like most was cultivating their own beds. Each student was given a small plot to prepare. “They learned the names of the tools, watched a demo on how to use them, and then began pulverizing clods of earth into soil particle sizes suitable for planting vegetable seed.
In addition to bed preparations, the kids learned to distinguish between bad soil and good soil teeming with soil microorganisms. “Look!†exclaimed four year old Vrinda, “Worms!,†as she broke open a grapefruit sized dirt ball. The kids all gathered around marveling at her discovery, amazed at how worms burrow through soil.
In the background, Mother Ruci was beaming with satisfaction, knowing that her students were excited and eager for more lessons in nature.
