COALTON — Children always like to get their hands dirty, and Danny Blevins is happy to oblige.
He has two tubs half-full of rich, dark brown potting soil and several flats of purple impatiens in front of him. Waiting eagerly are half a dozen children, waiting to plunge their fingers into the dirt and pot the plants.
Blevins loves watching them snuggle their plants into pots of the soil. He knows the moment they touch the fertile dirt, the living green shoots and the lacy white roots, they’ll make a connection.
The children may not fully realize it, but they’re learning how the plant, the soil, the environment and themselves are bound in an interconnected web.
Once they’ve learned that, they’re closer to becoming good stewards of the earth and its resources, he said.
That is why Blevins, a retired agriculture teacher — and now full-time farmer — spent Wednesday at the Boyd County Fairgrounds helping the county extension service with its annual 4-H Farm Day. About 120 students from the Fairview school district descended on the fairgrounds to get a taste of farm life.
Besides planting flowers, they sheered sheep, saw some horses, grimaced at some bugs and learned some exercises.
“We hope to bring some awareness that there is more than TV and video games to do in the summer,” said 4-H extension agent Becky Stahler.
And maybe some of the children will develop an interest in animals, join 4-H and take on a livestock project some future summer, she said.
That could happen. A lamb, it turns out, enjoys eating clover buds just about as much as children like picking the buds and feeding them to the lamb.
Feeding the lamb was their reward for helping fair board member John McGlone shear it.
“It was really great. She tried to get all of my flowers,” said Rachel Meeks, who will be in second grade in the fall.
Rachel and her classmates each got a turn with the electric shears, and they filled two plastic bags with the wool they clipped off.
Some of the children had never seen farm animals; Stahler hopes the exposure will instill a respect for animals and for the responsibility farmers have to care for them.
The children also learned about recycling and composting. An entomologist showed them some insects and an exercise instructor showed them Zumba moves.
It was a day to recreate, in microcosm, an increasingly rare agrarian lifestyle.
“I grew up on a farm so I saw the importance of nature,” Blevins said. “We want them to realize the value of agricultural resources.”
The message apparently got across. “If we don’t take care of plants each day, they’ll die. And then no more food,” said Isaac Campbell, who will be in fourth grade in the fall.
Same goes for humanity, explained rising sixth-grader Katie Richard. “We got to plant a plant and make it live and make it part of the earth. People need to take care of people, too.”
MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.
Local News
Related Photos
-
John Flavell
Discussion
Planting seeds of stewardship
Fairview students attend 4-H Farm Day at Boyd County Fairgrounds
- Local News
-
-
2 recipes revealed in Sanders autobiography
Want to cook like the Colonel?
-
Vet picnic will be Saturday
Tri-State veterans are invited to a free outing on Saturday.
-
‘Building Doctors’ will make rounds in Portsmouth June 14,15
Main Street Portsmouth, TSHD Architects and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society will sponsor a Building Doctor Clinic for old-building owners in the Portsmouth area June 14 and 15.
-
3 arrested after meth lab found
The Boyd County Sheriff’s Department arrested three after discovering a meth lab at a home in Rush on Saturday.
-
Going with the flow
The popularity of water trails is growing in eastern Kentucky as more and more communities embrace adventure tourism as a way to paddle their economies forward.
-
State artists will shine at MSU show
Jennifer Reis wants Kentucky artists to have a chance to win prizes chosen especially for them.
-
Central Park festivities: Musical salute honors veterans
Many, including city officials, gathered Monday to enjoy music and festivities during the Memorial Day Celebration in Ashland’s Central Park on Monday afternoon.
-
An event fit for an American
Hundreds decked out in red, white and blue lined the streets as marching bands, local officials and floats galore made their way through the streets of Ironton Monday morning during the 144th annual Memorial Day Parade.
-
3 arrested for running meth lab
The Boyd County Sheriff's Department arrested three people after discovering a meth lab at a home in Rush.
-
Crowd deals with sizzling weather in paying respects
Although the weather called for scorching heat, many showed up to pay their respects at the Memorial Day celebration in Wurtland on Sunday.
- More Local News Headlines
-
2 recipes revealed in Sanders autobiography
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
