Seven young designers, seven one-of-a-kind pumpkin arrangements!
On Tuesday, October 6th, the Littleton Country Gardeners welcomed seven young gardeners to the Reuben Hoar Library for our fall Kids Craft program. The project was a seasonal favorite: fresh flower arrangements built right inside real pumpkins.
LCG volunteers prep stems while a young helper looks on.
Kids Craft chair Chris McCumber coordinated the afternoon. LCG members Paula Sutak, Susan Stetson, Dave Plauger and Kathy Horniak volunteered to help, working alongside the kids at every table.
Step one: scoop out the seeds and make room for flowers.
From pumpkin to centerpiece
Each child started with a pumpkin that had its top cut off. The first job was the messiest one. Using trowels and large spoons, the kids scooped out the seeds and stringy pulp until they had a clean, hollow bowl. Then a block of floral foam went inside to hold the stems in place.
Next came the fun part. A long table was piled high with big, cheerful sunflowers, bright yellow chrysanthemums, and rusty orange and deep burgundy mums. With scissors in hand and a little help from our volunteers, the kids trimmed stems to the right length and tucked each flower into the foam. Some went bold with a sunflower right in the center. Others mixed in every color they could find.
Focused and creative, building the arrangement stem by stem.
Seven proud designers
By the end of the session, every child had a finished arrangement to take home, and no two looked the same. The proud smiles in the group photo say it all.
Programs like this are a big part of why LCG exists. Getting kids’ hands on real plants, real tools and real seasonal materials is a simple way to grow the next generation of gardeners, and it’s a lot of fun for our members too.
A big thank you to Chris McCumber for organizing, to Paula, Susan, Dave and Kathy for lending their time and know-how, and to the Reuben Hoar Library for hosting us. Keep an eye on our events page for the next Kids Craft program.
