Growing into gardening -- with your children!
I can remember my little patch of radish and spindly looking carrots in my own garden patch when I was very small. I continually give thanks to my Mum for her understanding and encouragement, and I firmly believe that my love of flowers and herbs, originates in that small garden patch, my own little garden, many decades ago Many people plant a birth tree, when the child is born, and as he or she grows up, they have their own special tree that grows with them. It is an old custom. 40,000 years ago, Australian aboriginal children were given a dingo pup at birth. The dingo would grow up with them, keeping them warm at night, and generally looking after them. A birth tree is a great idea, (easier than getting a dingo pup too!) and if you or your partner is having a child, please think of planting a birth tree. If your garden is not big enough, what about the local park? Even at birth, babies respond to sounds, sights, and smells. Many young mums take their baby into the garden with them, putting their carry-cot close to them, in a position where they can be seen and heard. Of course, sun protection and an awareness that some garden plants are toxic if chewed or touched, are important. ************************************************************ Commercial Awnings & Patio Awnings Retractableawnings.com provides high quality commercial awnings, patio awnings, window awnings with a 25-Year Warranty on our awning products. ************************************************************ As the child grows, he or she learns which plants to touch, and which not to touch. Herbs such as parsley, or similar aromatic herbs are fine for an older baby to handle. When they get to the toddler stage, it’s a different ball game, as all Mums know! New-found mobility creates a problem, but if you give the toddler a few plastic forks, and a little plastic shovel, they can garden quite happily, in a little patch of fine soil, or in a sandbox. As they get a little older, children love planting out seedlings. Flower seedling are best at first, then they can watch them grow and flower! Naturally, at first there are some plant casualties!
At this stage you can also encourage the child to start a gardening scrapbook and diary, where all garden stuff can be pasted or drawn. Pictures of plants, especially bright colored flowers, will train a young mind very quickly. They can also make cards for family and friends, with bright flower pictures, and they learn to identify the flowers. As they grow older, they can make their own garden-based board game, based on garden jobs. (ie. Forgot to water pumpkins, go back 3 spaces!) Don’t forget they can also grow flowers in pots inside when the weather is bad. Planting seedlings and flowers inside can provide hours of fun, for Mum as well as child! Pressing flowers is also a good wet weather game. ************************************************************
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Dentalplans.com - 100,000 Dentists $99/year! Pet plants are another good idea for young children, and it teaches them how to look after a plant, and that plants, just as do animals and humans, need caring for, they need food, water and attention. A pet plant should be fast growing, and should flower readily indoors to maintain interest. A pot which houses a pet plant should be colorful, and perhaps could have flower pictures pasted on the side of it. A child will quickly learn to look after their pet plant, and will learn how plants grow. Planting carrot tops, pineapple tops, sweet potatoes shoots, etc, is another way of showing children how plants grow. These are very important lessons, and will stand the child in good stead in later life. Encourage your child to help with the weeding. You will need to explain what weeds are, and why they need to come out. Preschool children are perfectly capable of maintaining a small garden, and if the child is given a small sunny spot of garden, it will provide many hours of fun, and a great learning experience. When you go shopping, explain to the child why you are buying certain vegetables. Explain about nutrition and vitamins, at a level your child can understand. For more information about which vitamins are in which vegetables, check out our vegetable vitamins page! Explain to the child about how some plants have edible flowers, like cauliflower, and others have edible fruit, like tomatoes. Let the child see the vegetables on display, so they understand what they look like. Encourage them to plant their favorite fruit or vegetables, the ones they like to eat, raw or cooked. (All kids love strawberries!) Children like to do things that are a bit different. They can grow potatoes in old tyres filled with soil. Tiny tomatoes grown in pots in the patio, are proudly shown to visitors. Cucumbers grown on the back fence are picked and brought inside at tea time. Seedlings can be grown in polystyrene vegetable boxes on the back porch. Sprouts can be grown in the kitchen. Children like to do things differently, and these things, a bit offbeat, are a big hit with them, and a great learning tool! They may decide to collect cacti, make a mini-garden, or a have a terrarium inside. I recall in the dim and distant past, I used to have a collection of tiny cacti, growing in toothpaste tube lids. If children have an interest in plants, flowers, and gardens, they are very richly endowed children indeed. Click here for kidz! As they get older they will develop a sense of Nature. Encourage them to take notice of the birds and butterflies, hedgehogs, grass mice, and other small animals. Children love a natural garden. They love to play in bushes, climb trees, pick flowers, make mud pies, catch grasshoppers and generally have a very good time. Gardens are fun places for children. They will learn about composting, the role of soil biota, fertiliser, and insect control. They will learn about mulching, attracting birds and butterflies, propagation, and many other gardening matters. This is when they will learn respect for all life, it’s a preparation time when they will garden alongside nature, and not against it. And the best part is, they learn all this while they are having fun, fun, fun! When they can pick their own vegetables and eat them fresh from their own garden, it is a magic lesson they will never forget. When they leave the nest, and set up a nest of their very own, the first thing they will do is get the garden going! And yes, they too will encourage their children to get out and have fun in the garden!
Happy gardening with your children, Patrick
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