Encouraging Children To Garden
 (Read 500+ times)
By Glory Lennon
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There is something rather magical about plants. They start off as dormant, insignificant seeds, lifeless and unassuming, but with little more than a bit of water, some fertile soil and a few rays of sunshine the seed will break open and sprout into life. Roots emerge, leaves unfurl, flowers bursts forth, perhaps even a fruit of some sort will develop or maybe a majestic tree will grow to tower over and outlive all of us.
All this from a tiny, little seed. Who do you think may consider that magic? Children would, for sure and certain. Children are naturally curious creatures and they can spot the magic straight away. They may find the intriguing concept of a giant tree growing out of a tiny acorn as reason enough for following you around in the garden, just to see what other miracles can be found out there. And there are many, just within their own backyard. It is the prudent parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent who will develop and use a child’s innate inquisitiveness to encourage this curiosity. With this in mind let us go over a few simple ways to encourage children to garden.
The amazing thing about starting a child on a lifelong love of gardening is that there need not be an actual garden to begin. Nor is summer time required. This first exercise can be done at any time of the year and indoors. Many a kindergarten teacher can explain how easy it is to introduce kids to the wonders of nature by bringing out a bag of potting soil, cleaned out pint milk containers or yogurt cups and a pack of fast-to-sprout seeds.
Kids love punching holes in the container bottoms, measuring out the soil, poking fingers around in the soil and getting dirty, planting their seeds, watering and placing them carefully on a bright windowsill. The hardest part, of course, is waiting for something to happen but when it does, oh, but is that exciting! For quicker germination have the kids soak the seeds in warm water over night. To keep a small child interested large seeds that they can handle easily are best. Pumpkin, Sunflower, Watermelon, Peas, Runner Beans, Nasturtium and Four O’clocks can easily be planted by even a toddler.
After the initial introduction to indoor gardening giving the child a garden to call their own, a place where they might place the first plant they grew from seed will peak their interest even more. A tiny bit of earth at the end of an already established flower bed, a corner of a vegetable patch or just a big pot can serve as your child’s first and very own garden. Help make and decorate a sign with their name on it so everyone knows this is their spot.
Allow them to choose the plants for their own garden. Give them old copies of plant and seed catalogues. This will show them what a great variety of flowers and plants are available. They can choose their favorite colors and types of flowers. Perhaps that Rainbow corn, the yellow tomato, the red, white and blue potatoes or the ghostly white pumpkins will intrigue them as much or more than they do some adults. Vegetables grown by the child will somehow taste better than the ones mom and dad makes them eat.
Take them to a nursery so they can see plants up close. Show them the profuse blooming annual for bouquets they can make themselves for Mommy. Show them perennials which come back year after year. Show them how to plant bulbs in autumn which will sleep all winter long then come up all by themselves in the spring. Show them vines which will grow up and up and up just like Jack’s bean stalk. Let them plant their own bean stalk and see if it reaches the sky. Tie several poles together to form a Tee-Pee for growing vines such as peas and beans. They can use it as a secret hid-out once the vines grow to cover it.
Show them the trees and tell them how big they will get if given good care. Show them the flowering shrubs that burst into bloom in spring and then grow berries by summer. Tell them birds, squirrels and chipmunks make their homes in trees and eat the berries from the shrubs. Tell them shrubs serve as a great place for hide-and-seek, for kids as well as furry and feathery creatures.
Show them fragrant, edible and medicinal herbs and flowers. Let them touch, let them smell, let them taste. Kids like to use all their senses. Lavender, Catnip, Bee balm, Lemon Thyme and Basil can tickle the nose and charm the child. Tell them how plants can make us feel better when we’re ill. Make a Peppermint or Chamomile tea for them to try. Peter Rabbit liked it, didn’t he?
Show the children all the different shapes within the flower bed, the tall Sunflower, the tiny bells of Lily-Of-The-Valley, the fine leaves of the Fern-leafed Coreopsis, the gigantic, broad, leathery leaves of Hosta “Sum and Substance”, the long spiked blossoms of the Liatris, the simple disk of the Daisy, the Purple coneflower with its protruding dark center and the fuzzy leaves of Lamb’s Ear.
Ask the children how they think the Dandelion got its name. Does it really look like a lion and why do they call that other flower a Tiger Lily when it has spots not stripes? Shouldn’t it be a Leopard Lily? What would they call it if they could name each flower? Would they come up with a better name than Black-eyed Susan, Old Man’s Breeches, Cup and Saucer Vine or Kiss-Me-By-The Garden-Gate? Wouldn’t you be surprised! Make it a game to give all your garden plants “better” names.
The Botanical garden is a wonderful place to show children there is more to a garden than just plants. Many public gardens have separate Children’s garden within them with special activities and displays set up specifically for kids such as Butterfly Houses, leaping water features, whimsical fountains, animal sculptures and some Botanical gardens even have toy trains running in and around miniature evergreen shrubs and trees.
Kids can see real cocoons and chrysalis and learn how to find them in their backyard hiding amongst the leaves. Have them look for inch-worms and caterpillars. Worms can be dug out of the ground to wiggle in their hands. Beetles, Praying Mantis, grasshoppers, crickets and bees are all fascinating to a small child and even more so when they can see them up close and personal.
Plan a little pond. It need not be too elaborate. Any container which holds water will do and sooner than you think possible there will be croaking toads and hopping frogs, all over the yard. What kid isn’t amazed to see a tiny wiggly tadpole grow into a frog? Let the kids stick their fingers in the soil and play with the worms. Let them see the bluebird building its nest. Let them watch the bumble bee buzz around from flower to flower. Let them dig in the garden and most importantly let them get dirty. Give them clothes specifically for gardening.
“I grew this all by myself!” they will proudly shout as they stand in their little garden, butterflies and frogs all around. Who can blame them for the excitement? It is indeed a grand source of pride that will no doubt make them eager to delve into more of this garden stuff. The lessons to be learned in a garden can last a lifetime and best of all is the kids won’t even know they’re learning. It’s just playing to them but we know otherwise, don’t we?
Encouraging children to garden isn’t so tough if you just show them why you like it so much. So do that and you won’t be able to get them back out of it again.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more fun gardening facts and amusing stories come visit
http://www.helium.com/users/32782
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