American Horticultural Therapy Association CALIFORNIA CHAPTER NEWSLETTER

NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL, COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD INDEED, IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS. MARGARET MEAD
Formerly known as People Plant Connection

A publication of the California Chapter, AHTA Summer 2008 Volume 10, Issue 2

Restructure, Redefine, holding on to the what we have gained, growing forward with the reality of the needs and the times..

CAAHTA IS INCUBATING

MARK YOUR CALENDERS Sept.21st Canadian Horticultural Therapy Conference October 20th Intro to HT at Orange Coast College in SCA. Call Marlene Javage for more details. 714/321-4001 October 25th Filoli Garden Party 10:00-3:00 pm October 30-Nov 1,2008 AHTA annual conference, Lexington, Kentucky Nov 15th Descanso Garden Party 10:00-300 pm

Did you hear, CAAHTA is incubating and morphing. ..

No, but what is morphing... are we going to be ok?

Of course, come to the Fall HT Garden parties being held at Filoli and Descanso and find out all the ways we are growing.and it is a free.

The opportunity to continue growing and connecting to a wide range of needs will be the topic of discussion during the Fall Garden Parties at Filoli and Descanso. Included in this publication are two fliers, check out the dates and details. We are looking forward to hearing your questions, opinions and needs in HT...And we look forward to introducing you to the latest opportunities, networks, research and visions for the future of Horticulture Therapy.

Presidents Message The Times they are a Changing. Truer words were never spoken in relationship to AHTA and our California Chapter of AHTA. Based on the opinion of national AHTA lawyer, each chapter must incorporate as their own non profit for the protection of their board or disaffiliate from the national. The thing that prevented us from incorporating as a non profit is the cost of the liability insurance . You all should have been sent out a survey as we wanted to receive your input. The results were to not incorporate as a non profit as you will read in the Survey Update on page 2. At our annual meeting we have much to discuss as to the direction of our group and we hope youll join us in celebrating over 10 years as a chapter and an opportunity to help shape the future of Horticultural Therapy in California. I have enjoyed working with you and serving the California Chapter and look forward to the seeing you at our Garden Parties. NATIONAL CONFERENCE AHTAs national conference will be held in Kentucky this year, Oct. 30-Nov.1. This years theme is Connecting People with Nature. Check out our page 5 to see the whole conference program . CALIFORNIA ANNUAL MEETING As you will read later in the newsletter, were having a party, a GARDEN PARTY planned in 2 locations, one at FILOLI in northern California on Oct 25th and one planned for Nov. 15h at DESCANSO GARDENS. Both of these events are free to members and former members of CAAHTA. It is our way of thanking you for your participation and support. All that is required of you is to respond and let us know you are coming so we have an accurate count for the luncheon. Come to the party! Patty Dunks California Chapter President

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San Francisco Flower and Garden Show

In March, the CAAHTA participated in the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show with an educational boothvf11.88.88 2[In)-5*445on na ( a a

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Southern California Site VisitSojourn

A little slice of home, normality, and a large slice of well organized inspiring staff..gave us a glance into the haven of SOJOURN April 19th. We were amazed at the work that goes on in that tiny piece of caring land and in the cozy house. I t felt like going to grandmas or at least to a caring aunties home. Thank you Pat Butler for arranging to have us visit and for showing us how a successful program is run. Mayerly Vanegas, Linda Preuss, Nancy Cipes, and Jane Emmer have made this healing area just plain heaven. Out of a ordinary plot, the garden and the horticulture therapy process was grown. We learned how diligence, flexibility, team work, respect, using what ever materials came along, spontaneous creativity, fierce dedication, strong protection of core values and laughter glued these advocates of healing and blossomed success. It was evident in their dress, their dedication to detail, the enthusiasm for their clients and in their delicious lunch salad ( which was tossed with ingredients from the garden, lavender, nasturtiums, rosemary, roses, scented geraniums, dill, lettuce and more. Yummm) Linda, their therapist who heartily believes in horticulture therapy...told of her progress with the clients in the garden. Sojourns website (on their parent organization site www.opcc.net ) states Sojourn provides battered women and their children a safe place to regroup, rebuild and reestablish their self-esteem and lives. . Our visit to Sojourn expanded our belief that indeed the world has a solid current of caring committed people who are making a difference. As one participant said; you can feel and even smell the embrace of acceptance and solid nurturing in the air.

Northern California Group Visits Janet Pomeroy Center

On April 12, a picture postcard day greeted the group visiting the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco. This non-profit organization serves over 2,000 children, adults, and seniors with developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries each week. Rob Negro, program Coordinator of The Able Gardeners, was our host and main speaker. The Able Gardeners is one of the key programs at the Janet Pomeroy Center, and provides landscaping and grounds maintenance services to both residential and commercial customers. After the presentations, we toured the buildings and attractive 5 acre grounds of the Center. The breath and depth of services the Janet Pomeroy Center delivers to the Bay Area community it serves is quite impressive. We ended the day eating our lunch together and enjoying the beautiful day. We give a big thank you to Rob and the staff at Janet Pomeroy.

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Working With Children.Principles and Goals

by Vicki L. Stoecklin Education and Child Development Director with White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group The first principle - and an important foundation for developmentally appropriate gardening - is that children are active learners. The best teaching occurs when the emphasis is more on joining the child in hands-on interaction, play and discovery than on imparting knowledge. Children have a natural curiosity that requires direct sensory experience rather than conceptual generalization. I have experienced this phenomenon many times in the children's garden where I volunteer. When we do a garden tour, if it does not include enough "hands-on" experiences like stopping to collect, touch, taste and smell, I quickly lose the interest of the children and they find their own way to interact with the garden, like balancing on the garden rails, running through the beds and wandering to the next available space. The second principle - of developmentally appropriate gardening is that development occurs in children in an orderly sequence during the first nine years of life. All domains of development-physical, emotional, social, language and cognitive-change in a predictable way. Knowing typical child development for the age span that your program serves will provide a framework to guide teachers and horticulturists in preparing the learning environment and planning realistic goals and objectives. Age-appropriate gardening activities take into account children's differing cognitive capabilities and psychological needs. The third principle - is that experiences and activities that stimulate children's development should be presented in increasingly complex and organized ways. For example, children below age seven or eight are extremely visual in their orientation to the world, partially because, depending on the age of the child, they do not read or read well. A pitfall is to rely too much on verbal explanations of concepts rather than using visual representations of the same concepts, such as with pictures. The fourth principle - of developmentally appropriate gardening is that children need to be able to practice their newly acquired gardening skills. Since research shows that children's development occurs more rapidly with practice, how can we expand our gardening scope to include others who influence the child's choice of activities? How can horticulturists support teachers in the classroom and how, in turn, can teachers support parents, who determine what children do at home? Activities chosen and shared with teachers and parents must not only include information on the activity itself, but why it is important and how it can be implemented. The last principle - is that children have preferred or stronger modalities of learning. A variety of activities will support children with the contrasted learning styles of visual, auditory and tactile. Howard Gardner has taken this concept a step further by identifying at least eight kinds of intelligence in humans. The multiple intelligences include linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal and naturalistic (the ability to read the natural environment). Goals of Developmentally Appropriate Gardening The first important goal of a gardening program is teaching environmental stewardship. Research in the new fields of eco-psychology and evolutionary psychology shows that if children do not have time to explore and fully understand nature, they are at danger for developing biophobia, an aversion to nature. A second goal of a gardening program is to provide activities for children to practice personal growth and social skills. Children are so proud of all of their accomplishments in the garden, even if it is as simple as watering. The garden provides opportunities for children to work together cooperatively as a team to solve problems. The third goal of a gardening program is to provide for multidisciplinary, active learning. Gardens are unsurpassed in providing a hands-on approach to seeking information, observing changes and learning skills. A fourth goal of a gardening program is to teach about nutrition and health. Children love to try new foods, especially when they have grown the food themselves or at least been involved in collecting the food source. A fifth goal of gardening programs is to provide opportunities for science education. Children can learn about interdependent plant and animal needs, photosynthesis, seed production, pests both harmful and beneficial, and composting. The last two goals are really the most important. Gardening is fun and is a skill that can be used later in life in many ways.
Vicki L. Stoecklin is the Education and Child Development Director with White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, a Kansas City, MO firm, which specializes in design and consulting for childrens environments including childrens museums, childrens leisure and entertainment sites, schools, child care facilities and outdoor environments which use nature. Vicki has a Masters degree and twenty-three years experience studying and working with children including children with disabilities. She can be reached at voice: 816-931-1040, fax 816-756-5058, Missouri relay (TTY) 800-7352966 and e-mail: vicki@whitehutchinson.com.

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California Chapter American Horticultural Therapy Association

2921 Old San Jose Road Soquel, CA 95073

CAAHTA Newsletter Summer 2008

Board of Directors and Contact Information

California Chapter AHTA MEMBERSHIP

Annual membership includes; newsletters, membership meetings, seasonal workshops, and admission to the members section of the CAAHTA Website. Membership dues are $25.00 Annually. Please make checks payable to: CALIFORNIA CHAPTER AHTA or CAAHTA Cut or copy this form and return with your dues to: California Chapter AHTA C/O Derron Dike (treasure) PO Box 102, San Luis Obispo CA 93406 name: address: phone: ...... email: ............ CAAHTA Newsletter is published 3 times a year. For postings or questions contact Newsletter Editor, Marlene Javage at javagejam@sbcglobal.net annual membership includes; newsletters, membership meetings, seasonal workshops, and admission to the members section of the CAAHTA Website.

California Chapter American Horticultural Therapy Association Website: www.caahta.org

PATTY DUNKS * President 831-476-2256 PattyDunks@aol.com SUZANNE REDELL * VP NCA 650-207-7601 suzanne@thrivinggardens.com MARLENE JAVAGE * VP SCA Newsletter Editor 714-321-4001 javagejam@sbcglobal.net SECRETARY * position open DERRON DIKE * Treasurer 805-627-1557 derrondike@aol.com LINDA MANN * PR Chair and Immediate Past President 818-340-6188 ljlmann@aol.com LEIGH ANNE STARLING, HTR Membership Chair

650-525-9984 lastarling@peoplepc.com