pune dont be surprised if you see tiny tots pottering about with a shovel trowel or a watering can in tow no they are not up to some mischief but only trying their hand at gardeningthis summer kids as young as five are going green with a gusto they are not only picking up skills from ace gardeners in the city but also trying them at home with elan and coming up trumpsegging them on in their pursuit are summer camps that have sprung up across the city to introduce children to gardening and organic farming and if the response to these camps is anything to go by organisers already have a winner in their handsin april we conducted two workshops at the millennium national school in karve nagar and the response was tremendous the children were eager to learn about the food cycle as they grew vegetables and fruits after the workshop they practice what they have been taught and share their progress with me said hemal patel of urbansoilat these camps children are taught the basics of caring for plants organic gardening types of soil watering of plants seeding among others the camps are generally held during the weekends or are halfday full day or threeday coursesthe children not only learn about nature but also how plants live where and what do they need to survivethrough creative play and exploration children develop a connection with the land and also an appreciation for nature they learn by example and get inspired by nature to choose a healthy lifestyle said archana mohod of cryptic huesbut such camps are not only about plants and trees children learn how to set up bird feeders and selfwatering plant pots with simple doityourself tricks and with materials available in every household said mojodbesides children learn how to create seed banks during summer children love to eat different types of fruits including mangoes watermelons and jamuns at the workshop we have taught them to reuse the seeds of fruits by drying and storing and later seeding in pots to grow plants she addedanother highlight of these camps is teaching children how to grow a terrace garden we have been conducting workshops for the past two to three years we have planned two such workshops in may said bharti yerpure saleswoman at jagtap nursery in magarpattaso far the efforts of the gardening experts have not been in vain as most children have gone back to their homes and grown vegetables and flowering plants in their balconies and on their terraces quite have a few have kept their teachers posted about the growth of plants in their homes through regular whatsapp messages from their parents cell phones