Brownie Troop 1126 goes green

Under a cloudless sky, with glaring sun and near-perfect temperatures, Brownie Troop 1126 got a tour of Good Earth Market and Organic Farm last week and even got to pot their own tomato plants, in an effort to extend Earth Day festivities beyond a single day.

Coastal Point • File Photo
Brownie Troop 1126 learns about strawberries and other plants at Good Earth Market.

“We had a ceremony, and we were unable to do something that day,” explained Jennie Smith, troop leader, of April 22, the day celebrated around the world as Earth Day. “So, we thought, why not do something the following week?”

After having a snack of organic juice, strawberries and crackers, the girls – all dressed in their aprons – went out for a tour of the farm.

“I told them, if they come to a farm, they have to work,” joked Good Earth owner Susan Ryan.

They sniffed peppermint leaves and checked out the plants that will become strawberries before entering the greenhouse to pot their own tomato plants to take home. With the experience, the girls said they learned a lot. There were plenty of “a-ha” moments along the way, and shouts of “it’s like candy canes!” and “it smells like toothpaste” while they were in the section of herbs that houses the peppermint.

“We learned that the soap they have is actually from a plant,” said Kelsey Smith, after sniff-testing some of the herbs that often end up in bath products, such as homemade soaps.

“And strawberries start as a flower before they bloom into a strawberry,” added Madison Galbreath and Scarlett Wyrick.

Smith explained that it was a good opportunity for the girls to explore the market, and it fit in with them learning about spring. And they could possibly even earn a gardening badge out of it. The troop is made up mostly of third graders who attend Southern Delaware School of the Arts and Lord Baltimore Elementary School, and Most Blessed Sacrament in Berlin, Md.

The troop had it right. With blue skies and ample sunshine, the day screamed for people to step outside and soak it up. Although the official Earth Day only comes around once a year, what’s stopping people from making every day (or any day) Earth Day?