Children’s summer classes held at historic Passavant House in Zelienople
A series of four summer classes was held in June and August at the historic Passavant House in Zelienople for children attending kindergarten through fifth grade.
“Zelie’s Summer Camp: Where History and Gardening Meet” was presented jointly by the Zelienople Historical Society and the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Butler County. The collaboration between the two organizations offered children and their parents the opportunity to learn about the lives of Zelienople’s Passavant family and the best practices for successful home vegetable gardening. The subjects of local history and best gardening practices were merged together in a unique way through the town of Zelienople’s namesake, Mrs. Zelie Passavant.
Zelie Passavant’s personal letters and correspondence were the inspiration and concept for the children’s summer camp. Her personal letters provided a direct source of written documentation and insight into her family’s daily life and her gardening activities in the vegetable, herb and flower gardens.
The idea of merging local history and the love of gardening was facilitated through various teaching concepts.
Reading was incorporated through story time, using books from well-known children’s authors, as well as the all-important passages from Zelie Passavant’s correspondence.
Writing and drawing activities were reinforced by creating a garden journal and preparing a letter for posting. The children were able to create a letter and envelope using one sheet of paper and seal the combination letter-envelope with a wax stamp as would have been the common practice of letter writing in Passavant’s day. Other interesting hands-on activities or games rounded out each lesson.
June classes presented the garden topics of “What Do Plants Need? Spotlight on Sunlight and Water” which explained the process of photosynthesis. “Healthy Soils” taught children about composting and vermiculture, which included a hands-on demonstration with red wiggler worms by Master Gardener Amy Schaarsmith. The third class in June, “Planting the Plot,” presented an opportunity to learn and practice the best ways to use a raised bed garden to successfully grow fruits and vegetables.
The history lessons included “Meet the Passavant Family Pioneers,” an introduction to the Passavant family and their home on Main Street. The children were able to explore the Passavant home and examine various family artifacts.
A second lesson, “Explore Zelie’s Useful Herb Garden,” explained how the Passavant family used and prepared herbs for culinary, household and medicinal purposes. A demonstration on herb dyeing with sheep’s wool was presented by Katherine Montgomery, a member of the Western Pennsylvania Unit of the Herb Society of America. The final historical lesson, “Learn About Farm to Table Passavant Style,” centered on preserving the harvest, with a look into the Passavant House Summer Kitchen where the children were introduced to the practices of drying, pickling and cold storage methods for preserving vegetables.
The final class held in August was a celebration of the culmination of the garden harvest season. Diane Walczak, a Butler County Master Gardener, shared the joy of the season with an interactive presentation on pollinators and monarch butterflies.
Produce was harvested from the Zelienople Garden beds, and a taste-testing of the harvest was available to all participants. The children shared entries from their personal garden journals. Sharing these experiences through the written word brought full circle the significance of Zelie Passavant’s correspondence into modern day life.
If you would like to learn more about the Passavant family or are interested in scheduling a tour of the Historical Passavant House, call the Zelienople Historical Society at 724-452-9457.
For more information on best gardening practices or to schedule an adult or youth presentation on pollinators, call the Master Gardeners of Butler County Garden Hotline at 724-287-4761, ext. 7, or email the Master Gardeners at butlermg@psu.edu.
Jacqueline Bartley is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Butler County.
