This is my second summer participating in the Externship program, and I’ve had the joy of working at Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) for both summer externships. I would not describe myself as a gardener, but I continue to learn so much about gardening, sustainability, pollinators and insects, beekeeping, and even culinary arts. As far as the day-to-day responsibilities as an extern at BUGS, I spend a lot of time working to support the various summer camps and outreach programs that BUGS offers. In my role as an extern this summer, I’ve really embraced my roll as a Jill of all trades.

In the first weeks of the summer, I helped as support staff for the pre-school summer camps. It was fun to see young children embrace the garden, whether it was through independent exploration, a guided science experiment, or a garden-inspired art activity.

As the summer progressed, I supported BUGS by leading some outreach lessons for summer school programs at Whittier Elementary and Morley Nelson Elementary. I led lessons about different arthropods and took students out to explore their respective garden spaces.

Near the end of the summer, I spent a lot of time working with the older campers in the culinary and beekeeping camps. It’s fun to see how kids, who are strangers at the beginning of a week, develop fast friendships and become a unique crew during four to five days. It’s neat to think about how the mix of kids, camp leaders, and even the elements of weather (we had lots of terrible AQI days) blend together to make a week that could never be exactly replicated.

I would highly encourage teachers who need a productive and joyful breath of fresh air to consider completing their externship at BUGS.

Included is a photo of the beekeeping campers inspecting one of the hives at the BUGS’ apiary.