Sprouts 萌芽

Designs On— Aging

By Karoline Kirchhübel Andersen and Nadine Stares

Sprouts is a simple program that turns the untended gardens of the elderly into a learning opportunity for school children. As with the Girl and Boy Scouts, young Sprouts develop skills and earn badges that help cultivate a new appreciation of nature, particularly for urban children. In turn, the elderly benefit by having their gardens maintained. The seniors determine the level of engagement they would like to have — be it sharing their passion for plants with the kids or merely enjoying the sounds of their happy chatter through an open window.

“萌芽”是一个很简单的项目，把老人家无人照料的花园变成孩子们学习技能的好地方。和童子军活动类似，年少的“萌芽”成员可以通过学习技能赢得奖章，学着欣赏大自然，这对在城市里长大的孩子尤为有益。另一方面，老年人的花园也得到了很好的照看。老年人可以自主决定他们的参与程度——可以是和孩子们分享养花莳草的乐趣，也可以仅仅打开窗户，远远聆听孩子们美妙的聊天声。