Valley of the Moon Children’s Garden Program

The Valley of the Moon Children’s Home Garden has been existence for over 11 years.  During that time is has continued to grow and develop as both a therapeutic and educational program for the children who come to stay at Valley of the Moon Children’s Home. 

The Valley of the Moon Children's Home Garden provides an opportunity to to connect school curriculum with real life experiences in the garden.  It is also a chance for participants to be physically active in the out of doors, and develop a respect and appreciate for the interconnectedness of our natural world.  Participants are able to connect the food they eat at meal time with the plants they are growing in the garden.  They learn to work collaboratively, and understand that living things require nurturing in order to grow and thrive.  These are invaluable lessons that can be carried throughout their lives.

The children participate in everything from weeding, choosing what plants to grow, planting, watering, to harvesting.  Some of the produce they grow is used in cooking classes so the children learn how to transform what they have grown into meals.  It is also used in the Valley of the Moon Children’s Center kitchen in the meals prepared by our chef and cooks for the children.  A lot of it is also eaten during garden time as the children pick it right from the plants and learn how good fresh, ripe food tastes.  Their favorite part of the garden is watching things grow from week-to-week and harvesting the vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

The children participate in the garden as part of their school day.  The teens (ages 13-18) work in the garden on Mondays from 8:30am-10:00pm.  The preteens (ages 6-12) work in the garden on Wednesdays from 8:30am-10:00pm.  Teacher’s Assistant, Patty Hoffert, along with VMCH direct care staff accompanies the children to the garden.