Gardening with children is rewarding for both them and us. Here on the farm, we garden with 10 kids, both boys and girls, with ages ranging from 16 down to 3 year olds.
We enjoy letting them "help" us plant the veggie patch, (younger childrens' fingers are great with seeds!), pick the ripe veggies, pull weeds, and watering. In the flower patches we plant new varieties and they bring in the most wonderful bouquets our perennials shower us with.
Gardening leads to great conversations and is a great way to teach children many things without it feeling like school. Our little ones have learned their colors, how to count, bug varieties, how a seed grows into a plant, responsibility and the joys of a job well done. But most importantly, we all enjoyed time together as a family! The summer months are not the only time that a garden can be a joy as a family. From the first of January we are often found at the dinner table with seed and flower catalogs planning for our new gardens. The kids are encouraged to give us their top choices of flowers to put in. This year my older girls (16 and 13 year old) are helping their younger sisters (5 and 3 year old) plan the plants they want in their play area. We're putting in herbs for my oldest who is an aspiring chef, my 13 year old loves flowers that are gigantic so we searched for giant varieties. We're putting in a new hibiscus plant this year, so we can make Southern Bell dolls out of the blossoms... just like Granny made the for the older two.
Kids and gardens go together like sunshine and rain. You just can't have one without the other.
The photo here is of my youngest, who was 3 in August of last year. A few days ago we had a warm day and worked outside. At the end of the day, as we were putting our tools away, she grabbed a play shovel and dug up my Yucca plant, which she replanted with "fresh" dirt! When I asked her why she replanted the plant, she simply said "Cause it's spring"! She was very proud of herself... cause she did it all by herself!
She defantly has the gardening bug, my plants may never stay where I put them but I bet that future April Fools Day will be a lot of fun!
We enjoy letting them "help" us plant the veggie patch, (younger childrens' fingers are great with seeds!), pick the ripe veggies, pull weeds, and watering. In the flower patches we plant new varieties and they bring in the most wonderful bouquets our perennials shower us with.
Gardening leads to great conversations and is a great way to teach children many things without it feeling like school. Our little ones have learned their colors, how to count, bug varieties, how a seed grows into a plant, responsibility and the joys of a job well done. But most importantly, we all enjoyed time together as a family! The summer months are not the only time that a garden can be a joy as a family. From the first of January we are often found at the dinner table with seed and flower catalogs planning for our new gardens. The kids are encouraged to give us their top choices of flowers to put in. This year my older girls (16 and 13 year old) are helping their younger sisters (5 and 3 year old) plan the plants they want in their play area. We're putting in herbs for my oldest who is an aspiring chef, my 13 year old loves flowers that are gigantic so we searched for giant varieties. We're putting in a new hibiscus plant this year, so we can make Southern Bell dolls out of the blossoms... just like Granny made the for the older two.
Kids and gardens go together like sunshine and rain. You just can't have one without the other.
The photo here is of my youngest, who was 3 in August of last year. A few days ago we had a warm day and worked outside. At the end of the day, as we were putting our tools away, she grabbed a play shovel and dug up my Yucca plant, which she replanted with "fresh" dirt! When I asked her why she replanted the plant, she simply said "Cause it's spring"! She was very proud of herself... cause she did it all by herself!
She defantly has the gardening bug, my plants may never stay where I put them but I bet that future April Fools Day will be a lot of fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment