The Fox Valley Park District greenhouse grows and nutures plants that will eventually be transplanted to area parks.  Photo by News Bulletin staff.

Plants are truly amazing. So it wasn’t surprising when a first-grader asked what seemed to be a very logical question.
“Can you grow French fries in your garden?”
Well, no. Actually, yes … kind of.

The more these young students learned, the more inquisitive they became during their field trip last week to the Fox Valley Park District’s greenhouse. (They also learned potatoes grow in the ground before they’re harvested and turned into French fries).
This group had made the short trip from Hall Elementary School in Aurora to get an up-close look at what goes into growing, raising and nurturing plants.
They were definitely in the right place; on a yearly basis, the Park District plants over 16,000 annuals and perennials and 400 canna lilies around its community centers and various parks.
For nearly two hours, students toured the greenhouse and engaged in hands-on activities – dividing plants, sowing seeds, sketching drawings of plants and studying a whole bunch of cool, green leaves.
School field trips at the greenhouse are part of a pilot program launched this year that is designed to give young students a better understanding and appreciation for the great diversity of plants and flowers they see all around them during growing season.
“The greenhouse serves as a great classroom,” said Janet Cherbak, horticulture supervisor, “and these field trips address the core curriculum requirements established by the state regarding what first-grade students should be learning about plants, biology and nature.”
Turning the greenhouse into a learning center was a brainstorm between Cherbak and Aurora University students Sandra Quintanilla and Susan Gonzales, both of whom are working toward master’s degrees and currently teaching children in the same age range.
The young students from Hall enjoyed a highly interactive, whirlwind tour. They learned the importance of air, sun and water in making plants grow and flourish. They were introduced to terms like chlorophyll (which makes plants green) and photosynthesis (how plants use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen).
“So plants help make the air we breathe?” asked one astute student.
They also learned the process of propagation – how plants grow and reproduce – from seed to stem to roots to leaves to flowers.
Across the board, these students were fascinated. It’s not easy to hold the attention of children – especially first-graders – in a classroom setting. But they were genuinely intrigued and quite enthused about their new discoveries.
“How do flowers get to be so pretty?” “Is there something in the dirt (soil) that makes strawberries taste so good?”
Those types of questions are music to the ears of educators. Cherbak said more programming is being planned for children, including a gardening class this summer that is geared toward 10-year-olds.
Teachers who want to plan an upcoming field trip at the greenhouse for this school year or next should contact Cherbak at 630-897-4261.
The kids will give it a thumbs-up … green thumbs.

Bug Fest lands big honors— One of the Fox Valley Park District’s signature events – Bug Fest – was voted the first-place winner in the Outstanding Special Event category by the Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA).
Bug Fest took top honors in the competition among agencies statewide and was recently honored at the annual awards ceremony hosted by the IPRA and the Illinois Association of Park Districts in Chicago.
“Considering how many special events are held statewide each year, this is a high honor for Bug Fest to be chosen as the best,” said Laurie Hoffman, director of recreation and communications. “We are proud this event has been well-received and provided a positive impact on the hundreds of people who have attended.”
Bug Fest is a free event hosted on the grounds of Red Oak Nature Center, Lippold Park and the one-half mile of Fox River Trail that connects the two. The event is equal parts entertaining and educational, designed for young families while also offering an opportunity for visitors to learn more about nature and insects in particular.
More than 1,000 people attended the 2010 Bug Fest in its inaugural year, with 1,500 visitors attending in 2011.