That's how most youngsters reacted to the thought of spending part of their summer holidays learning about leaves and twigs.

But now, several weeks into the programme run by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Parks, enthusiasm is high -- and universal. The children love it and don't want it to end.

Part of the reason, it seems, is the instructor, trainee teacher Miss Le-Ann Perry, who makes the lessons fascinating and fun.

"Miss Perry is a very enjoyable person who is willing to help anybody,'' 11-year-old Torrey Usher explained. "If you have a question she will always try to give you an answer. That's what I like about Miss Perry.'' Leticia Seymour, 10, agreed.

"I believe in Miss Perry. If you have a problem and she can share it with the whole class, she will make it fun and more manageable to learn.'' An annual event, the aim of the Botanical Camp is to teach children about plants and how to grow them, as well as the preservation of nature and the environment.

This year, 15 youngsters aged nine to 12 have been at the Botanical Gardens on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings for three hours of instruction and field trips.

A glance at the temporary classroom reveals the extent of the hands-on projects: terrariums in large glass jars, a earthworm farm, butterfly nursery and crafts made from recycled materials.

When The Royal Gazette's visited, the air was redolent with the smell of purple cabbage and water hyacinth blooms as the children learned to dye wool using boiled plant material to create the dyes.

"Faaaaaaantastic!'' Torrey exclaimed as a piece of white wool emerged from the hot solution a gentle shade of green. "That's scientific!'' In making seed mosaics -- picture outlines drawn by the students and filled in with soup mix lentils -- the children learn not only about the variety of lentils but the interesting use of colour.

Department employees, including senior plant protection officer Mr. Kevin Monkman, who spoke on the Monarch butterfly, and a Park Ranger who talked about conservation, help to expand the children's knowledge of insects and preservation of their Island home.

Such talks are backed by field trips to "living classrooms'' like Spittal Pond and the beach, where things like shore plants are studied.

Valuable lessons in recycling, one of today's hot topics, have been learned through creating new paper from old and melting down wax crayon stubs to be re-moulded into new and bigger crayons in the shape of hearts, teddy bears and dinosaurs.

The dual lessons of recycling and propagation come from using plastic margarine tubs as planters for seeds, while the principles of the natural rain cycle are learned through creating terrariums in large, lidded jars.

"Once the plants are planted in the soil and watered, and the lids screwed on, they create their own natural rain cycle,'' Miss Perry explained, pointing to the beads of moisture formed on the walls of the jars.

The value of earthworms to farmers, because they aerate and put nitrogen into the soil, are demonstrated through "soil farms'' created in see-through containers.

Although it is the third camp for volunteer helper Miss Gretchen Hasselbring, who hopes to work at the Department "some day'', for the students it has been a first-time experience and a real pleasure.

"At first I thought the camp was going to be boring and I said to my mamma, `Do I have to go?' But it's just amazing how much I've learned, and how much I didn't know about plants,'' Leticia enthused. "You bet I'd go again!'' "I only wish school was like this,'' said 10-year-old Amanda Robinson. "It doesn't seem like you are learning anything because it's such fun, but you find out at the end of the day you have really learned a lot.'' "That's because there's more to do and you have a lot more time to express your feelings to the teacher,'' Leticia said. "You can learn more in an exciting way instead of just taking it out of text books.'' And what of the two boys in the camp? Were they bothered by so many girls? "No, it doesn't bother me in the least,'' Torrey said. "It's a good camp -- although I didn't want to come at first. Now I tell my dad all about it...he's really interested.'' Some of the children also see the camp as a way to improve their gardening skills. Mystified Lindsey George, 9, for example, has chickens which produce a fine crop of fertiliser, but that hasn't helped her diminishing crop.

"I used to have 17 plants but now I only have two so I'm hoping the camp will help my gardening.' Some students have been busy preparing invitations for the Camp's forthcoming open house -- with mixed feelings.

"I'm writing an open house invitation -- whatever that is,'' Andrew Baxter, 9, said.

Although he liked the insects aspect of the camp best, he said his primary interest was the sea.

"I'm more into sharks because they are interesting fish,'' he explained.

PROPAGATION AND RECYLING go hand in hand as Jodie Moniz, 11, waters seedlings in an old egg carton.

CREATIVE COLOURING -- From left, Kim Thornhill, 8, and Amanda Robinson, 8, colour drawings using fresh plant materials. The project is one of many designed to teach Botanical Camp students about nature.