Life Is Good In The Greenhouse
There are things to learn right outside your front door, but sometimes we're too busy to even notice.
I drive by a US Forest Service Nursery every day. Thanks to a local homeschooling group that we've joined up with, we were finally able to slow down, drive through the gates, and get a tour of the place.
So what exactly goes on in there? Trees... Lots and lots of trees. 25 million to be exact. I had to stop the tour guide and ask him to repeat that. 25 million trees can be grown at this 222-acre facility that is literally a couple of blocks from my house. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees!
The nursery is completely self-supporting, selling seedlings to state parks, transportation projects, national forests, and other government agencies throughout the west. A few things my kids and I learned on our tour: the nursery extracts seeds from cones by shaking them. The seeds are then cleaned, dried, and x-rayed, before being refrigerated. The nursery has a 10-year supply of seeds for the types of trees they grow, which include white pine, larch, spruce, lodgepole pine, hemlock, and cedar.
The point of my post is not really to write about the nursery tour, but to make people think about how many educational opportunities there are right in your own neighborhood or town. There are probably dozens of places that you drive by each day that could teach your kids something new about the world.
I'm glad we got to see this nursery while we had the chance. The Forest Service is under pressure to sell the land. Apparently it's become too valuable for trees, and developers think it would be better off blanketed with homes instead.
I drive by a US Forest Service Nursery every day. Thanks to a local homeschooling group that we've joined up with, we were finally able to slow down, drive through the gates, and get a tour of the place.
So what exactly goes on in there? Trees... Lots and lots of trees. 25 million to be exact. I had to stop the tour guide and ask him to repeat that. 25 million trees can be grown at this 222-acre facility that is literally a couple of blocks from my house. Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees!
The nursery is completely self-supporting, selling seedlings to state parks, transportation projects, national forests, and other government agencies throughout the west. A few things my kids and I learned on our tour: the nursery extracts seeds from cones by shaking them. The seeds are then cleaned, dried, and x-rayed, before being refrigerated. The nursery has a 10-year supply of seeds for the types of trees they grow, which include white pine, larch, spruce, lodgepole pine, hemlock, and cedar.
The point of my post is not really to write about the nursery tour, but to make people think about how many educational opportunities there are right in your own neighborhood or town. There are probably dozens of places that you drive by each day that could teach your kids something new about the world.
I'm glad we got to see this nursery while we had the chance. The Forest Service is under pressure to sell the land. Apparently it's become too valuable for trees, and developers think it would be better off blanketed with homes instead.
Permalink posted by Phil at 12:38 AM
6 Comments:
That's why I love looking at maps. You find the coolest things right next door.
How cool! I would never have thought about a tree nursery...
where is this????
I just can't miss a day on your blog because something cool always happens.
JBelle, it's bordered by Kathleen and Atlas, the entrance is across from Woodlands Middle School.
Nice XTC reference.
Hey, if you ever get the time (maybe make it an art project for home school?), I'd love it if you made some more Uffington horse shirts.
"There are probably dozens of places that you drive by each day that could teach your kids something new about the world."
You are so right, especially with little kids. They love the simple outings that parents would consider boring.
Now that I think about it, my kids had such a good time visiting the garden center at the local home depot. They got so excited looking at all the seeds, flowers, and plants.
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