Gardening With Kids
We have been very busy working on the yard still. This afternoon I will be doing a lot of weeding again. It has kept the kids active and busy. People are much busier these days. Things get put off and then forgotten. Families tend to forget about growing things with their kids.
Kids learn so much while gardening. They learn where their food comes from and many science lessons. It is also a great opportunity to spend time together talking. You can make gardening fun for kids with themes, activities, and lessons.
There are many ways to interest children in the garden. A successful children's garden allows whimsy and welcomes the discovery of a variety of "treasures." The quickest way to engage children in the garden is to give them a part in its design.
You can design a garden around a literature theme such a "Peter Rabbit" or "Planting a Rainbow" garden. Or you can design a garden to be a particular type of habitat, such as a butterfly garden or a bird garden. Another concept for the garden is to focus on a food product, as in a Pizza Garden, a Stone Soup Garden, or a Stir-Fry Garden.
The design of the garden involves: deciding on a design concept, deciding on what you will plant and how the plantings will be arranged, and then planting the garden. You can also decorate the garden with child-made objects and signs.
Another way to sustain interest in the garden is to plan for your family's harvest and feast days, and to have daily garden "reporters" who investigate the plants' progress. My kids LOVE going out everyday and checking how the plants are doing. Yesterday they were very excited to find the first pea pod.
If you do not have room for a garden you can still grow plants with your kids. All you need is some cheap seeds. You can grow things in containers too. Your kids can even paint the pots to make them more their own. Kids also like searching for "new" containers. They can use old things from around the house or garage and turn them into planting containers.
If you grow beans, peas, or another plant that creates a climbing vine your kids can provide strings for the plants to grow up and have a race. Then they can go outside everyday and check on the progress.
Gardening is a great way to spend time together and have fun. It also gets them outside in the fresh air. Kids spend way too much time indoors these days. These are the memories your kids will take with them when they grow up. Just remember to start out with bug spray or your gardening will not last too long.
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My son loves to gardening and waters the plants.
Even when we go to my mother little vegetable farm he loves to put seeds, or pick up fruit and vegetables.
But like everything that involves children it is our responsibility to keep the plants well.