Trares
The world was in his hands.
Now Anthony had to consider — how was he going to shape it?
On a cold January Saturday morning, we had come to a local garden center near our house for a little hands-on natural learning. The nursery often features educational classes, both for children and adults, on weekends and during the evenings.
People can create their own succulent planter, learn about natural skincare, or hear from a birding expert about how to identify local birds.
Anthony loves this place, as much for the massive koi pond and intricate birdhouses as for the educational opportunities. So when we found out they’d have a build-your-own terrarium class, he was excited to sign up. But after he thought for a moment, he had a question.
“What’s a terrarium?” he asked.
Though I was no expert, I tried to explain that it was a little container where plants would grow in their own little world. He seemed intrigued — “So I can plant flowers and trees? I want to put a piggie in there!”
Not sure where he got that idea, but I (gently) tried to correct him, I don’t think it’s going to be that big. But you can put in some small plants and moss, and probably decorate it with colored stones and other items.
There was a hint of disappointment, but Anthony was still all in. So we bundled up and headed down to the class, not exactly sure what to expect.
Stepping into the spacious greenhouse, we were both taken aback. More than 30 kids, and their parents, filled the space — all hoping to craft a tiny world. We found open seats, and waited for instruction from the garden center staff.
They kindly walked us through the process. First, we had to give this new world a foundation. Inside the globe, Anthony scooped nutrient-rich dirt with a spoon, filling it enough so that his plants could take root but not spill out the opening.
He was able to pick out the terrarium’s centerpiece — a small fern plant, which he placed right in the middle of the globe.
All of the kids were able to pick two decorations to place in the terrarium. Anthony wanted his to be reptile themed — “It’s Dinosaur Land,” he told me — so he selected a yellow triceratops and a tiny turtle.
Small pieces filled in the rest. Anthony plopped some fluffy moss into one corner and carefully placed decorative stones in the dirt around his fern. Two clear blue glass adornments were pushed to the front, to be a pond, Anthony said.
When he was sure everything was just as he wanted it, he held it out with pride. There was a little slice of nature we could keep in our house, that he could care for on his own and watch it change over time.
I asked him as we were leaving if he liked what he’d made.
“Oh yeah, it was fun,” he said, thinking for a moment before confessing, “I really wanted to put a piggie in there.”
Maybe next time.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
