SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD – Coles School celebrated Earth Day Friday with an assembly focusing around recycling. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle was one of the mottos of the event, called "Let's Bloom Together". The students were introduced to ideas about why we recycle, how to recycle, and what to recycle.

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Let's Bloom Together started its annual Pumpkin event. This event features Pumpkins at YOUR SCHOOL along with a fun and highly educational program.

Let's Bloom Together, an environmental awareness program, presented its fourth annual beautification project with its students from Cradles to Crayons. They came to the Dublin Pub and helped beautify the eatery's outside dining area with plants chosen by owner, Colette Mongey.

Michael Bedrick, owner of Let’s Bloom Together, a company based in Morrisville, New Jersey that runs educational programs on gardening and going green for children, explains how community gardens simultaneously benefit both Parks and Recreation Departments and the visitors they serve: “An empty plot of land can be split into sections that can be rented for a fee during the growing season. People grow fruits and vegetables that are then sold at farmer’s markets to those who appreciate buying locally grown produce.” In addition to the revenue rental fees and potential proceeds from produce sales can generate, Bedrick says, “A central garden helps build a strong sense of public goodwill. Starting a shared, communal garden is a wonderful way to bring people of all ages together for something that can literally be fruitful.”

Community gardens can also provide excellent platforms for running educational and environmentally friendly events. According to Bedrick, …

Most serious gardeners say composting is an essential component of their yard work. Southdown Primary School students in teacher David Crimi's class learned all about this important recycling concept during a visit by "Marigold Mike" from Let's Bloom Together, a gardening education company.

The Southdown youngsters were exposed to all sorts of new words and phrases during Marigold Mike's presentation. Students learned that vermicomposting is a way to recycle and reuse biodegradable items such as leftover or spoiled fruits and vegetables.

"Each student received a small plastic container filled with some soil," Mr. Crimi said. "They added old fruits and vegetables and worms. They learned that the worms eat the fruit and vegetables and turn it into good soil for planting."

The Friday afternoon presentation included a segment on caring for a vermicompost bin and the importance of keeping it moist and dark. Only biodegradable items "that come from the …

TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON

First graders at George Elementary School, which is part of the Westwood Regional School District, recently had an in school visit from Let's Bloom Together, a company that provides children's gardening classes, programs and events.

The team from Let's Bloom together taught the students about composting and helped them create compost containiners. The students had a blast digging out the worms and filling their composts with vegetation. Made possible with the help of several parents in the school community, the visit was part of George School's celebration of Earth Day.



Marigold Mike makes nature and ecology fun and interactive. By Kathy Shaskan

Once upon a time, Michael Bedrick of Morris Township had a successful career in sales, but says he "dreaded" going to the office. After deciding life was too short to do unfulfilling work, he left his sales career and started "Let's Bloom Together," where he runs programs that teach children about gardening, nature and ecology.

"I love every second of it," he said. "My business is teaching children about gardening and going green; very practical everyday things they can incorporate into their lives." His programs range from months-long, in-school programming to one-day community events, camp programs and even birthday parties for kids ages 3-10. His work name is "Marigold Mike," and he said he's constantly amused by how the younger students' mispronunciation turns him into "Miracle Mike."

Bedrick says his approach to teaching the subject matter is out-of-the-ordinary, …

FLOWER POWER

Being a summer birthday girl myself and mom to a summer birthday boy, I am well-schooled in the potential lameness of summer birthdays. Who can compete with summer camp, beach vacations and visits with the grandparents? There is an upside to being a summer birthday kid: awesome outdoor birthday parties that’ll lure even the busiest of buddies back into the fold.

Let your birthday boy channel his inner green thumb and invite Michael Bedrick otherwise known as Marigold Mike to the party. The owner of Let’s Bloom Together in Morristown will come to your door equipped with his own supply of pots, terracotta saucers, plants, soil, pictures and paintbrushes. The guy even brings a wheelbarrow. He sets it all up and the best part, he cleans the mess up before he leaves. Mike stays for about and hour and includes a brief wheelbarrow ride for the newly minted …

Five and six year olds were not afraid to get their hands dirty at the first day of the "Let's Bloom Together Workshop" on Monday, July 19. The workshop, led by Michael Bedrick ("Marigold Mike") is being held at the Community Center from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. this week and introduces children to the fundamentals of gardening.Monday's workshop covered the basics of soil, water and sun – the three ingredients necessary for plant growth. After zipping up their imaginary space suits, the kids blasted for outer space to view planet Earth from the heights.The children quickly identified their home state New Jersey. They already knew that New Jersey is "The Garden State." Mike then showed a photo of the earth explaining how the clouds that surrounded it provide water. From there they went for a visit to the sun. Did you know the sun is 93 million miles away?After a return …