Felege Hiywot Center celebrated National Summer Learning Day for the first time in 2008 with activity themes based on the Center's Summer Education by Gardening program. The celebration was held at 1648 Sheldon Street, Indianapolis, IN on Thursday, July 10, 2008 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Over 80 children who normally attend FHC's Education by Gardening program once a week on different specified days, all gathered together to participate in the First Annual National Summer Learning Day Celebration. The children rotated through various garden related activities during the day. Each activity offered fun while teaching at the same time. During one craft activity, the children decorated clay pots with a variety of colored tissue paper, making each pot personal and unique. In another, each child was able to plant a flower and mark it with their name, in a section of garden set aside for the celebration activities. These allowed them to water their own plant and watch it grow during the remainder of the summer. With the garden as a part of the Center, children were able to harvest different lettuces that were used as sandwich toppings during the lunch cookout. Under a volunteer's supervision, they had fun choosing which plants to harvest and they got to taste different plants at the same time. They were able to ask questions as they watched in a canning demonstration and learned the importance of time and temperature during the canning process. One highlight of the day was their going to a neighboring field and seeing how crops, such as hay, were harvested years ago with a scythe. A Russian immigrant demonstrated the use of the scythe to cut grass that was over knee high in places. The children then transferred the cut grass to the compost bin.
Of course no day of celebration would be complete without games and food. One game in particular, was a special hit; watermelon seed spitting! Many of the children had never participated in this game. First they ask if someone had already eaten the watermelon and spit the seeds that were going to be used in the game. Once they were confident that these seeds had never been inside a mouth, they were ready to play. They cheered each other on and then measured the distances of the farthest seed. A picnic lunch was also enjoyed by all comprised of the usual cookout favorites of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and hotdogs.
The group, Sacred Intent, gospel rappers were present, talked with the youth, and gave free copies of one of their CD's.
Many members of the community and neighborhood along with supporters, business leaders and volunteers were invited and joined FHC in the celebration, including Mr. Ralph Taylor, Mayor's Office of International and Cultural Affairs Project Coordinator, and Mr. Jerry Shepherd, Project Safe Neighborhood Coordinator.
Decorating clay flower pots
Planting flowers with names on stakes
Eating lunch at cookout
Leaning about canning food
Scythe grass cutting
Spit watermelon seed winners
Smiles at day's end
Click here if you would like to see more pictures of the day's activities.
(Follow this link if you would like to read about the upcoming 2nd Annual Celebration in 2009.)
