The Summer Reading program, Planting Beneath the Surface, featured four different activities for the teens to participate in. The kids were required to listen to instructions and be creative.
Making a plantable bookmark required getting your hands messy. One tablespoon of soupy paper mush was spread on a screen where the kids pressed as much water out as possible. A pinch of marigold seeds were added to the pulp and then it was shaped into a bookmark. The formed bookmark was pressed into a towel to dry or to speed up the process a hair dryer was used. After the bookmark dried it had several uses, either as a bookmark or as a marigold seed strip.
The teens had the opportunity to fashion a garden stone out of concrete and gems. There were no two stones that looked alike.
Another activity that required team work was the Saran Wrap Contest. Each person was given candy rolled up in Saran Wrap. Each team needed to upwrap their candy quicker than the opposing team. Of course, each individual was allowed to eat whatever candy they unwrapped. This activity was quite popular and the teens wanted to participate again and again.
The last booth the teens were required to listen to instructions to make “Dirt Dessert”. Measuring ingredients was important so that the pudding was edible. To make the “Dirt Dessert” authentic a gummy worm was added on the top of the dirt.