One of Alana Hart's earliest memories as a little girl growing up in Rochester is of her adventures at Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve.

This month, Hart and a crew of 20 volunteers are helping pave the way for more childrens' memories at the Rochester nature center.

Hart is the community organizer for Home Depot; last week, she supervised the construction of a childrens garden on the grounds of Dinosaur Hill, near the new Rochester Community Garden.

"This place is so near and dear to me," said Hart, who lives in Rochester and is based out of the Lake Orion Home Depot store.

That's why she jumped at the chance to help build the garden when she learned Dinosaur Hill was the receipient of a $15,000 grant from the home improvement superstore.

The garden is in place but will come to life in the spring. It will be used on school field trips and in special classes that will be offered by Dinosaur Hill. It includes:

• 16 raised bed planters
• Benches for children to sit on during instruction time
• A rain barrel
• A composting area
• A greenhouse area
• A tool shed

"We want to show them everything in one spot," said Sharon Taber of Dinosaur Hill.

Children will have a chance to watch plants grow from seeds and to create a worm farm, among other activities. They'll also have a chance to paint some pickets for the fence around the garden; details on that project will be finalized next spring.