LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some children in west Louisville are growing their skills in the garden.

Sprouting Gardeners Club is a program sponsored by Norton Children's Prevention and Wellness that takes place at Louisville Grows on Portland Avenue.

The goal is to introduce children between the ages of 8 to 12 years old in the community to nature, nutrition and gardening through education and stewardship. The children have spent the last four weeks doing hands-on activities, hearing from guest speakers from local organizations and working on group projects.

"My coworker and I were thinking how can we connect kids with food in a more meaningful and engaging way," Solera Spagnuolo, Health and Wellness Coordinator for Norton Children's Prevention and Wellness, said. "The whole point is children can use their senses to feel, touch, taste and see food, where it's being grown, where it comes from to their table or the pantry or kitchen."

The program goes beyond nutrition and garden-to-table cooking by also offering a space for creativity and exploration.

"I think it's cool learning about the native plants and the bugs," Denia King, a participant of the program, said. "Everything we learned today is new." 

Kids leave with knowledge of how plants grow, where food comes from, the plant ecosystem, gardening and garden-to-table cooking. The program was free and open to the public.

To learn about the Sprouting Gardeners Club, click here.

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