A new Green Thumb Club of 4th and 5th graders was formed this spring. Despite an uncanny string of rain storms that hit precisely between 3:30-4:30 on Tuesdays and kept members inside a few weeks, Green Thumbers made sunny days count with their hard work in the garden and school grounds. They were an enthusiastic group - whether it came to tackling weeds or making friends with garden critters.
During a few of the rainy afternoons, the club enjoyed talks with some of the amazing volunteer gardening experts of the Penn State Master Gardener program. Topics covered included tree identification, soil preparation and fertilization, and bug identification.
One recent visitor was Deb Martin, coauthor of The Complete Compost Gardening Guide. Deb brought her special pets - several hundred wriggly red worms who live and make compost in a plastic bin. Club members got a real hands-on experience with the worms and had a chance to see what worm eggs and babies look like. There were oohs and aahhhs and, yes, even cooing over the little baby worms before Green Thumbers reluctantly said goodbye to Deb's pets.
The Green Thumb club is on hiatus for the summer but will be back in session in the fall when the garden harvest comes in. Membership will be open to up to fifteen fourth and fifth grade students. Look for a flyer with information on joining the club after school starts in the fall.
The class was out in the garden recently watering and harvesting snap peas, broccoli and cauliflower. 
