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Native American crafts, storytelling, & games on the Bringing Back the Natives garden tour

Garden tour and native plant sale supports San Lorenzo High student gardeners

Hop in your car on Sunday, May 4th to join the Bringing Back the Natives free self-guided tour of showcase native plant gardens in the East Bay. Plan to make San Lorenzo High School’s garden your mid-day stop; delicious Mexican enchiladas, rice, beans, and salad will available for purchase from 11:00 – 3:00. Enjoy your lunch in the garden! 

Bring your children to this family-oriented event.
 A children’s activity area with make-and-take crafts, storytelling, Native American games, acorn pounding, and stick dice will be open throughout the day.

A series of talks will also be offered.
 Learn how to make your garden a wildlife-friendly habitat at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00 when the talk “Planting to Bring Birds to Your Garden” will be presented. At 12:00 and 4:00 “Ten native plants needed to create a Native American school garden and curriculum—includes handouts!” by Steve Wiley will be offered. 

San Lorenzo High School’s one-acre native plant garden was created by students from the school’s former swimming pool, which had been bulldozed and filled with rubble. Now looking like a “natural garden that fell out of the sky,” the native forest is tended by the Druid Environmental Club and Environmental Leadership in Action class. Fourth grade students from nearby schools are taught, by the high school students, how Native Americans used native plants. The high schoolers, who are regarded as rock stars by the younger students, love this activity. 

Growing California native plants in your garden will save water and attract birds, butterflies, and native bees. San Lorenzo High students propagate over 60 species of native plants in their productive nursery, and these plants will be available for sale on the day of the Tour. Wildflowers, purple haze asters, monkeyflowers, native grapes, goldenrod, snowberry, virgin’s bower, yerba buena, and hummingbird sage are some of the plants that will be available in exchange for donations. 

Funds raised from the plant and lunch sales support the school.

San Lorenzo High School is located at 50 E. Lewelling Blvd. in San Lorenzo (enter at the Ashland Avenue parking lot). 
Tours of the school’s garden will be given from 10 AM to 4 PM. If you would like to visit other gardens, in addition to San Lorenzo High, you must register for this free tour at http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/ by Saturday, April 26. 




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