Pitman students learn about flowers
By Amy J. Martin
Pitman Today Editor

Pitman students from the Weekday Nursery School, located in the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman, learned about flowers when they took a walking field trip to Merritt's House of Flowers.

Merritt's now has a Flowers for Kids program, which is under the direction of its enthusiastic instructor, Dennae Martinez.

Students are initially presented with a name tag, learn how to make flowers last longer (a concoction of sugar and lemon juice), and then put together their own floral bouquets to take home. They also learn how to create their own feature presentations, showcasing a focal flower.

The students are then invited to return to Merritt's to take a flower quiz, where they are presented with a diploma -- and a flower, of course.
"These are our future 'prom customers'," explains the charismatic Martinez, adding that the program is offered free to schools, thanks to flower growers in Equador who began the program and donate the flowers, and locally, to Merritt's House of Flowers.