Secrets of the Garden Shared with Special Needs Children

For the past six weeks, children with developmental disabilities had the opportunity to learn about horticulture at Union County's Trailside Nature and Science Center.

The Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal, in collaboration with the Master Gardeners of Union County and Autism Family Tours with Brianna, based in Scotch Plains, developed the program that involved Saturday morning classes at Trailside.  On a recent Saturday, members of the Master Gardeners opened their small arboretum in the Watchung Reservation.  During the morning visit, the children had a chance to see and touch and smell the flowers, shrubs and trees that have been cultivated in the small oasis. 

The visit was part of a six-week program designed to teach horticulture to the children, many of them autistic, through hands-on projects using plants and planting activities.  Accompanied by a Master Gardener, the youngsters followed a trail through the garden, stopping at various points along the way. 

The first stop was a tree for youngsters to touch and learn that trees have many different types of bark and that they may have leaves or needles.  The trail continued through the garden, weaving through various sections, along with stops along the way where the Master Gardeners would ask the youngsters about what they could see and hear and feel while they were in the garden.

"It was wonderful," said Ruth O'Brien, a New Providence resident and one of the Master Gardeners who volunteered for the program.