Frivolous Friday

June 8,2012

Marigolds on Main

I live in a comparatively small city on the east coast of Canada. We have   a fantastic view of the Bay of Fundy.... which empties into the Atlantic Ocean for those of you not familiar with the area.... four beautiful seasons  to enjoy each year, friendly people and an amazing population of young people,aka, kids!!

Every year for the past 15 years, the children of our city are bused or walked to one of the main streets in the  city which  is called....hmmmm,  what is it called again, oh yeah, Main Street!! Here the children, accompanied by their faithful and patient teachers and family come to plant Marigolds. The students have nurtured these plants from seeds, and in the process have learned first hand about biology, history of that part of the city,  community  involvement,planning, patience, co-operation and  the immeasurable joy of seeing the fruits of  ones labor. I personally think their teachers should each receive an award of merit as well!!!

Here, little guys, you stay here and grow up strong!!

Each year  over 1,000 children give 30,000 marigold plants a  new home down the center of the street and provide beauty and a sense of pride to all that view them.  To date about  2.5 million plants have been planted by students from neighboring schools.  This project has served as a model with more than 50 other sites  taking part in other areas.

I happened to be present at the fun exercise this year and was able to get a couple of pictures to show you what can happen at the grass roots....  or  in this case, the marigold roots, level!!!!

Just a bit of water to get started!

It was a cool day so some of the pre-K youngsters sought refuge after their work was done.

Everyone loves a day away from the books!!

For more information on this project see the following sites:

http://www.marigolds.ca/

http://www.saintjohn.ca/en/home/cityservices/communityenrichment/neighbourhoodsupport/marigoldsonmainstreet.aspx