We did a gardening workshop as part of an Easter unit based on John 12:24 "Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

Our activity was extremely simple. We planted zinnia seeds in little peat pots. We used some library picture books about plants, planting and gardening to fill out the workshop and encourage the kids to participate in gardening at home. We even had some earthworms to observe. The kids took their pots home, but we kept extras at church which we re-potted, watered and enjoyed all summer.

There's a wonderful hymn by Natalie Sleeth "In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed an apple tree." The refrain is "unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see." You can find it on the web at https://hymnary.org/text/in_th...lb_there_is_a_flower. It's also known as "Hymn of Promise" and is published in a number of hymnals and children's song books.

The best thing about our gardening workshop, though, was that it attracted a grandmother as workshop leader. She was terrific and would never have volunteered if it hadn't been gardening. She continues to volunteer at least once annually, taking on new assignments, most recently cooking.

Anne Camp, Pittsburgh