Innorthcounty

It is almost like the Secret Garden, tucked away and nearly hidden among the blackened paved roads and rows of red-tiled roofs that comprise San Diego County. It is a rare glimpse into the past, a little snippet of land that holds the key to all things green and lush. And it is of great importance that we hold on tightly to this precious key for without it we will lose access to many green gifts from the Earth that are continuously at risk for being long forgotten and bulldozed over.

The Quail Botanical Gardens, located in Encinitas has a mission. It is stated in bold ink on their webpage and reads: “To inspire people of all ages to connect with plants and nature.” It’s a rather simple one really, but these days our society seems to be overrun with video games, television and Big Macs. The concept of fresh air and lefty green goodness is unfortunately becoming obsolete. What’s even more distressing is our bad habits are being passed down through the generations.

Perhaps one of the Quail Botanical Garden’s best attributes is that it is designed to incorporate people of all ages, with special attention given to children. The statement, “the children are our future,” is perhaps overused at times. However in this particular instance the implications of our actions today will be the responsibilities for our young ones tomorrow. Learning how to preserve and protect nature is just one lesson that we should pass on to the youngsters. Involving them in outdoor activities and showing them that vegetables aren’t all that gross is an important step to ensuring that they will live long and healthy lives.

Seeds of Wonder is a section of Quail Botanical Gardens that is interactive, engaging and educational for children. It is still sprouting from the roots, as a more expansive version of the area is set to open next year.

Julian Duval, President and CEO of Quail Botanical Gardens said, “These days there seems to be a lack of safe spaces for children to enjoy nature. This is a great opportunity for kids to become actively aware of plants and also have the ability to spend time outside.”

The land was originally owned by Ruth and Charles Larabee, who, during the 1940s and 1950s sought to educate young people about nature by holding campfires and inviting scout troupes on their property to explore the many different species of plants, trees and flowers.

Duvall added, “They [the Larabees] were so dedicated to introducing kids to the wonders of nature and I think that idea is much more important now. Many kids are overweight these days, which leads to shortened life spans. During harvest time our volunteers take the children to help pick the vegetables and explain to them that these are what comprise a salad. The kids become personally involved and suddenly they begin to taking an interest in eating greener foods. Essentially we give them another, better option to McDonald’s French Fries.”
Introducing kids to the wonders of nature and encouraging them to exercise and eat right should be at the forefront of our priorities these days. According to the website of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) being overweight is a serious health concern for children and adolescents. Data from two National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from the years 1976-1980 and from 2003-2004 show that the prevalence of overweight is increasing. For children aged 2-5 years, obesity prevalence increased from 5.0% to 13.9% and for those aged 6-11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 18.8%.

Seeds of Wonder became the West Coast’s first interactive children’s garden when it opened in 2003 and since then many other kids’ gardens have popped up in areas throughout the country. This nature’s wonderland, nestled in Encinitas includes living topiaries, a grassy rolling hill, an exotic Baby Dinosaur Forest, a Farmyard area, sculpture and interactive nature play features and none other than its very own “Secret Garden.”

The garden also hosts programs regularly throughout the month, including Tales and Tunes, Garden Arts and Crafts, Worms, Wings and Crawly Things, Nature Walk, Friday Fun and Saturday Arts and Crafts, all of which incorporate memorable brushes with nature for little tykes and their families.

Seeds of Wonder is a concept that should and must be mimicked. Today we are surrounded by fast food joints and massive SUVs that blow fumes of gasoline out into the air, these things are detrimental to both our environment’s resources and also to our own personal health. Julian Duval encourages parents and their children to come reconnect with nature. “Primarily we are here not just because of plants but mostly because of people.”

Quail Botanical Gardens is also hosting a Family Valentine Party on Saturday, February 9, 2008 from 10-11:30AM. For more information on this and other events associated with the Gardens check out their website at www.qbgardens.org.