As this is being written, we are almost at the ten-day countdown until spring.... thirteen more days to be exact! This is such a welcome thought for so many of us as we prepare to once again garden and enjoy more time in the great outdoors with our families! Knowing that this edition will take us until the end of May, we are excited to share some of our annual upcoming kid's activities. They hold special memories as Ebert's has been blessed to have many kids and families participate over the years!

Here is what Ebert's will be doing off and on-site for the next few months:

Off-Site Events:

Wednesday, March 8th Oconomowoc  Library Pre K Power Story Hour Planting Project Appearance: Renee Ebert will make a special stop at the library and bring along a fun planting project for the kids at Story Hour to plant and take home!  Ebert's plant plugs will be transplanted in a container that they design and decorate. Come join us to start to "think spring" a little early!

Tuesday, March 21st & Thursday, March 23^rd, 10 am Watertown Children's Library Appearances:  Renee Ebert will be the guest during the Children's Library Story Hour bringing a fun planting activity for the children to decorate, plant, and take home to continue to grow! Garden-themed stories will be shared as we celebrate the start of spring! We would love to see you there!

Saturday, April 22^nd, 9 am-12 noon Watertown's 30th Annual Children's Fair- Watertown High School:  Ebert's continues to be excited to participate in the Watertown Children's fair, being dedicated to this event since its beginning.  Continuing in tradition, children who stop at the booth will have the opportunity to decorate a flower pot cup and plant it up to take home with one of Ebert's tiny baby plants!  Come on out to get a head start on the learning and planting fun!

 On-Site Events:

Saturday, April 22nd & Sunday, April 24th (throughout hours of operation) Earth Day Weekend Activities:

Ebert's is looking forward to celebrating Earth Day with all of the children who come out to Kid's Korner located in the Field House Greenhouse behind Ebert's main store.

 As part of the celebration, we are excited to once again host our Annual Earth Day Writing Challenge (3rd and 4^th-grade students can enter now through Wednesday, April 12th).  Winning entries will be displayed in the Kid's Korner area of the Field House greenhouse, where awards to the top winners of the essay and poetry divisions will be handed out as well. Check out the link for: Earth Day Writing Challenge

Also here is the link for: Earth Day Event Information

*The Kid's Korner area will host a self-guided Earth Day Scavenger Hunt and seed-planting activity throughout the hours we are open!

Saturday, May 13th& Sunday, May 14^th, 10 am-4 pm (or until supplies last) Mother's Day Grab &Go "Planting Cutest Containers for Mom":  The sweetest variety of brightly colored containers will be available for kids to select from to plant a heartfelt gift for mom! The grab-and-go project will include the container, beautiful flowers, soil, and a marker tag to design a picture or special message on! $7

On-Going through Friday, June 2nd Ebert's Annual Spring Coloring Contest: Every year we look forward to seeing all the creativity and hard work of the kids who participate in this annual contest! Age categories are as follows: 2-4 years/5-7 years/8-10 years. The top winner in each age division will be invited to come out to Ebert's in June to plant and design a theme garden (theme of their choice), to take home!  It has been so fun for past winners to enjoy caring for their own personal garden theme container and to see it grow throughout the summer months! Past years' themes have been fairy gardens, under-the-sea gardens, construction zone gardens, dinosaurs, sports themes, and so many more!

This year the coloring sheet to design features a miniature garden scene with a fence, flowers, garden tools, and birds. The link here can be used to print and participate.  Due by June 2nd (hand in at store or mail in (Attn: Renee) Winners will be contacted by phone to set up a time to come to create their theme garden prize!

Kid's Korner in the Field House greenhouse will feature fun garden-themed learning activities throughout the year!  “Grab and Go” garden kits will also be available (while supplies last)!  Come check out the fun! 

Here is a fun idea to have your young gardener help the birds as they are preparing to make their nests:

 Birds Nest Helper Project: Birds use many natural materials that they find in nature. This helps them build strong and sturdy nests in a safe spot to help protect their eggs. Look for twigs, leaves, and soft materials such as grass and moss! We found a really cool website that details what to do: here is a link to the Barley and Birch website (not affliated with Ebert's)

Todd and Copper are ready for spring and so are we! Can't wait to see all of you soon!

Your friends at Ebert's Greenhouse Village