Never Stop Growing!

The Wehe Growdome is heading into Summer with a lot of positive growth (pun intended) and engaging programming from Club staff and our amazing partners at La Puente's VEGI program. We currently have programming in the Growdome almost every day the Club is open.

Summer Programming:

Monday through Thursdays members are out watering the plants.
On Fridays, members harvest what they grow if it's ready, and make a healthy snack for themselves OR for the Club if the harvest is bountiful!
They have made snacks as simple as salads, as well as fun things like smoothies! Each time we make a snack we talk about how that fruit or veggie affects our body.
During the fall/winter we primarily grew lettuce and kale.
The grapes and the fig trees are a huge hit with the kiddos. So this year we are planning to use the figs to make Lara bars (fig newtons, but larger) for hiking and other outdoor adventures. We are planning to use the grapes to teach canning and how to make jam in the fall.
Due to the ridiculously awesome amount of lettuce the members grew this Winter, we were able to have families harvest the lettuce during one of our family nights (Jan or Feb, I think) and take it home. As food insecurity is a common problem in the Valley, it's so awesome that our members can grow food they can take home to feed their families with.
We have a few members who have absolutely fallen in love with gardening and growing things; so we have allowed them to start sprouting some vegetable babies in the dome and take them home.
Due to Northern Valley club members attending the Alamosa site for programming on Fridays, we have inspired the whole crew in Saguache to want to participate in Dome programming. There is a dome in Saguache, so we have been starting vegetables in Alamosa and caring for them with the intent of Saguache transplanting them into their dome when it's ready in a couple of weeks. VEGI will be in Saguache on Thursdays over the Summer to assist with their Dome programming.
We have occasionally taken members into the Dome for some Yoga or just quiet time as it's such a wonderful therapeutic space.
The Dome is a huge tool for us to teach members about how plants grow, the different types of plants, and the parts of plants. This is extraordinarily helpful when it comes to running programs on pollinators, pollution, ecosystems, and plant identification.
Currently we are sprouting tomatoes and peppers for Summer!

Our members absolutely love the dome and it has been one of our most engaging program areas. Some of our members struggle in the Club due to the high energy and noise, but they absolutely thrive in the Dome environment. Several of our members have become Dome Leaders for new members who are just coming out to the program for the first time.

The love our members have for the Dome, and growing things, in general, has inspired us to expand programing in new directions. In late May, we will have two lines of crop space at the Rio Grande Farm Park for members to take their Dome skills outside and try to grow their own crops in a farm environment.

Engaging Kids in the growing process can be a richly fulfilling experience for them and help grow their understanding of how gardening and farming have a significant impact on their lives and their world. The act of growing their own food develops a positive connection between work and the rewards it can bring for themselves and their families. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the San Luis Valley deeply appreciates our staff, partners, sponsors, and donors who have made this kind of programming possible for decades. We couldn't do it without your support!