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Today’s children have so much to do that they never seem to have much free time and the opposite side of the coin is that many of today’s children do have lots of free time and it is spent with Game Boys or watching TV.
If you are fortunate to be a “stay-at-home” mom then it is never too early to create a gardener, even if you think you are not one yourself.
What great experiences and memories you can create with even an active two year old when you create a small garden for both of you to grow things in. It does not have to be large and you can easily buy kid size rakes, hoes and shovels in bright colors at the dollar store or local discount shopping center.
You can have some seeds that you know will be easy to grow such as string beans, cucumbers and peas. You can teach them by doing with them, taking the time to explain to your child how things will grow if they plant the seed and water them. I remember our 4 and 5 year olds checking their gardens each day and getting so excited when things started to pop up through the soil.
A fun thing is to take them to the local nursery and have them pick out their own lettuce plants, tomato plants and even a few flowers and we used to let them each have their own little wallets with the money to pay for them. It was a lot of work on my part keeping track of these kids and their wild minds, but it was exciting for them and they looked forward to coming back, helping put the string lines in and pounding their end into the ground while I or a sibling pounded his or her end into the ground.
Then we would dig the holes and it was all right to get as dirty as they wanted. They learned how to gently put the plants in and cover the roots with the dirt. We had small kid’s watering cans that they could fill and carry and bring back and they learned how to gently water each plant. As things grew they learned how to work the hoses and it was o.k. to have water fights once in awhile as long as it was all in fun and especially if mom and dad were their targets.
It was a game to them and we all enjoyed it. They quickly learned that they would have to make sure no weeds “stole” the water from their precious plant and they would pull them out because the weeds were “villains”.
I remember how excited they were when their first tomato came unto the vine. They new the little flowers would become tomatoes and they waited for that to happen and the same with the cucumber and other things. They also learned that the food was for eating after it was harvested and washed and they were so proud to share it with all the family members telling the story of how it grew. Plus they ate what they grew and that was wonderful.
Yes, a child is really never too young to learn how to garden and many times they grow up to be adult gardeners with an occasional horticulturist career.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/
To see Arlene’s Gardens and to read her gardening diaries and to take a walk through her pictorial garden or click on Arlene’s Books where you can download or buy her gardening & cook books, including her new book, “The ABC’s of Wine and Beer Making”. Remember to check out her artwork, especially of her fruits and vegetables. Arlene says, “All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and I thank you for visiting my site.”
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