Summer 2024
In the (Children’s) Garden with Dr. Carver Celebration
Event Details
Date: Saturday, June 8
Time: 2:30 to 4:30 PM
Location: The Kitchen Garden at Ithaca Children’s Garden
Cost: Free, with no registration required.
About the Event
Join us for the launch of a community-wide celebration of the incredible life and legacy of our country’s agricultural hero, Dr. George Washington Carver.
Bring your children for an afternoon of family fun featuring arts, entertainment, and activities inspired by Dr. Carver and the book ‘In the Garden with Dr. Carver,’ set amidst the lush beauty of Ithaca Children’s Garden.
Activities and Highlights
500 Free Baby Sweet Potato Plant and Container for Families:
Adopt your own sweet potato plant to grow at home.
Plant and Vegetable Art!
Enjoy all the art activities available, including potato stamping, botanic painting, okra papermaking, and black-eyed pea crafts.
“In The Garden with Dr. Carver" Book Celebration:
Enjoy a read-aloud of the new Story in The Garden Unveiling and a gift book for each family!
Tour the High Tunnel:
Information about Vegetable Gardening with Children:
Join the dream of families across our community growing their very own vegetables!
Explore our new new George Washington Carver Garden:
Discover our new garden honoring Dr. Carver’s legacy.
Location Details
Parking and Accessibility
Parking: Our event offers free parking in our spacious lot near the main entrance. Additionally, there are three marked accessible parking spots in the lot closest to the neighboring baseball fields.
Accessibility: We strive to ensure that all visitors can access the Garden. Please use designated parking spots and pathways for easy access.
Bathrooms
Location: An ADA-accessible porta-potty is located near the Yurt. Look for the big blue building to find your way to this bathroom.
Amenities: Adjacent to the bathroom, you’ll find a handwashing area for visitors’ convenience.
Finding the Kitchen Garden
From the Main Entrance:
Welcome to the heart of the celebration – the Kitchen Garden! We’re thrilled to have you join us in this vibrant corner of Ithaca Children’s Garden. To help you navigate your way here from the Main Entrance, follow these simple steps:
- Enter and Turn Right: Upon entering take a right turn onto the path. You will pass by the Garden’s kiosk on the right-hand side.
- Proceed through the Archway: Continue along the path until you reach an archway situated between the covered open building and the rice patty pond.
- Arrival at the Kitchen Garden: Congratulations! You have successfully arrived at the Ithaca Children’s Garden Kitchen Garden.
Partners
The Learning Farm
The Learning Farm is more than just a farm—it is a sanctuary for learning, growth, and community. Founded on the principles of equity, sustainability, and play, their mission is to connect people with the land, with each other, and with the bounty of fresh, local food.
Hands-on farm experiences and programs include an array of educational opportunities for children of all ages. Community-driven events celebrate sustainable living, organic agriculture, and cultural enrichment.
Learn More About The Learning Farm
Children's Reading Connection
Children’s Reading Connection (CRC) is a national literacy organization with a special focus on community literacy. CRC serves and supports libraries, schools, and communities near and far by developing innovative and collaborative community-literacy initiatives designed to help create a culture of literacy.
Learn More About CRC
Ithaca Children's Garden
Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG) is an award-winning, 3-acre public children’s garden designed for kids, enjoyed by all, and driven by a mission to connect children to nature to create a more beautiful, resilient and just world.ICG’s vision is that every child has the basic human right to play, learn, and grow outdoors, and develops a life-long relationship with the living world. Each year, ICG continues to expand the ways it meets the needs of the community while growing its regional and national impact. ICG welcomes more than 70,000 visitors each year and is completely free to the public.
Learn More About ICG
United State Botanic Garden and American Public Gardens Association
The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) and American Public Gardens Association (Association) have awarded support to 26 public gardens and their community partners engaging in urban agriculture, food-growing, and related education work.
Ithaca Children’s Garden, in collaboration with The Learning Farm and Children’s Reading Connection, is one of the 2024 recipients in support for public garden partnerships across the United States that will foster public engagement and education in urban food growing and build capacity in urban agriculture programs. The Urban Agriculture Resilience Program aims to strengthen collaborations, promote resilience, and gather best practices from across the U.S.
Learn More
Who was Dr. George Washington Carver?
Dr. Carver was an iconic figure whose resilience and passion for nature propelled him from the adversities of being born into slavery and battling childhood illness to becoming a pioneering scientist, educator, and community servant. His revolutionary contributions to agriculture helped reshape sustainable farming practices across the nation.
Quick Facts:
Born: Circa 1864
Alma Mater: Tuskegee Institute
Innovation: Crop rotation and soil conservation
Known for: Advancements in peanut and sweet potato agriculture
Awards: Spingarn Medal, 1923