The Jefferson Public Library Youth Services Department has a couple of programs coming up soon.

Youth Services Librarian Bailey Mount says the second edition of Species Spotlight will be at the library on Monday from 4-5pm for kindergarten through fourth graders with Greene County Conservation Naturalist Jacob Fernholz leading the program on foxes of Iowa. Mount tells Raccoon Valley Radio the first Spotlight Species was held in March and it was about squirrels and with the upcoming program on foxes, she talks about some of the things that the kids will get to do, including a story time with one of the favorite hand puppets.

“We will have Francois Fox this time around. But if you’re looking to get a little bit closer to the real thing, Jacob has said he’s bringing fox pellets this time around.”  

The other program that is also happening on Monday is for fifth through eighth graders at the Thomas Jefferson Gardens of Greene County from 3-4pm and it is called, “Let’s Plant a Salad!” Mount explains that there will be a trivia and scavenger hunt to begin with prizes and then participants will get to plant a salad inside the greenhouse.

“And you get to plant one lettuce plant, one tomato plant, and one radish plant. So we’ll go over best practices and how to plant them, how to grow them, how to maintain them, stuff like that, (and) when it’s actually time to harvest. And after that, we’re going to treat the kids to an early mini salad supper, and they’re going to be able to take those mini planters home with them to continue to raising, cultivating and hopefully harvesting.”

Mount thanks Danielle Ross with Thomas Jefferson Gardens for hosting this middle school-age program; she adds that there is limited space available.