Geelong Regional Libraries and Bellarine Community Health (BCH) are teaming up for an innovative new nature-based program aimed to introduce preschool children to story times in a garden setting.
The ‘Little Growers: Story time in the Garden’ project hopes to plant a seed within families that fosters an ongoing connection to community gardens and their local public library.
It is a nature-based storytelling program, with stories, songs, and a hands-on garden activity.
“By providing story times within community gardens, families can come together in a safe outdoor space, get hands-on in the garden, and find out about the places in their community where they can access free local and sustainable food,” BCH health planner Laura Boehm said.
The BCH Healthy and Connected Communities team is delivering Little Growers as part of their Bellarine Youth Agents of Change environmental leadership program, which includes a suite of local initiatives that takes a whole-of-community approach to increasing healthy eating and climate resilience on the Bellarine.
The BCH Youth Guerrilla Garden in Ocean Grove, where the first of the Little Growers sessions was held this week, is another of BCH’s Bellarine Youth Agents of Change initiative.
Regular gardening workshops and working bees are hosted in the youth garden for Bellarine young people aged 12 to 18.
Geelong Regional Libraries’ CEO Vanessa Schernickau said Little Growers is a wonderful collaborative project.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Bellarine Community Health on this project.,” she said.
“What a great opportunity to promote and celebrate so many elements of wellbeing – from healthy eating, growing your own veggies, storytelling and fostering a love of reading and connecting with your local community.”
The next Little Growers is on November 9 from 11am to 11.45am at Youth Guerrilla Garden behind headspace Ocean Grove on Presidents Avenue.
