Elizabeth Dry is all about nature. From working in gardens, to cooking with all-natural, local products, to sharing her love of all things natural with others, she makes the outdoors her priority.

“I was a principal and teacher in Dallas,” she said. “And what I saw were huge disconnects…so I decided to create common ground for everyone to come together.”

So, Dry says, she created a sort of neighborhood garden. By implementing this and other plant-based regimens in her school, Dry said she saw grades and testing ability rise. To this day, she truly believes in how much gardening and working outdoors can do in people.

“Gardens bring people together. Gardens grow food. Gardens help the environment. Gardens help everything,” she said.

Dry focuses on working in “harmony” with the plants and with one another. She believes that, by giving kids time to slow down, get off their phones and enjoy the peace of nature, she’s helping kids “(share) their energy” with the plants and with one another. 

One way she wants to make this available to the public is through her weekly summer camp, which is called Promise of Peace Garden Summer Camp. The camp, Dry says, is for anyone ages 5 to 12, although older kids and parents sometimes join.

“I think the garden should be about freedom,” she said. “As long as you work in respect and harmony, I think you should be able to work and receive with nature as you want.”

Through the camp, she works to make sure each kid has a great and memorable day. On June 7, the nine attendees (and even some of their parents) made strawberry ice cream, learned about turtles, worked in the fresh, moist soil, colored on a big canvas and more. Each and every moment was filled with curiosity and learning.

Because the camp is held over the lunch hour, Dry also invited kids and their parents to make Swiss chard rollups filled with cream cheese and fresh, Texas-made olive oil.

By working hard, showing kids what there is to love about being outside and taking time to literally stop and smell the roses, Dry hopes that she can change people’s lives a few kids at a time.

“Do you see what happens in the garden? It’s different. I’ve been in classrooms; great things happen in our classrooms and in our schools, but not like it does in the garden. Because everybody belongs in the garden; everybody brings something different,” she said.

The camp costs $25 per day, per child. Dry holds her camp at the Promise of Peace Gardens at the Mineola Nature Preserve every Wednesday in June from 10-1. She is also asking the community for volunteers to help spread mulch around the community gardens.

For more information on the camp or the organization’s other activities, visit her Facebook page at Promise of Peace Gardens or the website at promiseofpeace.us.