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As a result of our changing times, gardening – which used to be lovingly passed from one generation to the next – is not being learned by many of our kids today. What with the video games, the laptop computers and the tv screen there’s just no time for it. That’s very sad because our kids are not getting that valuable appreciation for the natural world that gardening can bring them. They don’t even realise, in many cases, that all of those frozen veges in the plastic bags came out of the ground and not from some factory. You don’t, however, have to let your child become ignorant to the joys of gardening. Set the example by being a gardener yourself. Encourage your youngster to join you.
Start off by allowing your youngster to care for a few potted plants. Get them their own equipment – small watering can, trowel, potting mix, pots – so they can really feel a part of it. Let them experiment with flowering annuals. Be sure to let them, know, however, that these flowers only have a short life.
The next step is to give the child responsibility for a particular plant in the garden. Make sure it is a hardy plant that can take a bit of neglect, like agapanthus, lavender or citrus. Allow your child to grow plants from seed. Make sure he reads the packet first, and follows the correct instructions, including sowing at the right time of year and gentle watering with regularity.
If you decide to let the child lose in the vege garden, give them vegetables to care for that they enjoy eating. Most kids will prefer sweet corn to radishes, green beans to spinach, strawberries to brocolli. Here are some ideas to help make gardening appealing to you kids:
(1) Have a competition to grow the biggest pumpkin.
(2) Make a mural on the ground on the ground with seeds and flowers.
(3) Get your child to write his name on a baby zucchini and watch it grow as the fruit expands into a giant marrow.
(4) Help your child to make a secret garden – a portion that is enclosed, secretive and uniquely theirs.
Finally, here are some ground rules to teach your child proper garden etiquette:
(1) Don’t eat things in the garden if you don’t know that they’re safe to digest.
(2) Ask before picking flowers.
(3) Wear old clothes when in the garden.
(4) Wear gloves when working with soil or potting mix.
(5) Wash your hands well after working out in the garden.
The garden is a terrific place to impart some great life education skills to your kids. So, don’t leave it any longer. Pull the plug on all of that electronic wizardry and get your child into the great outdoors – or at least the back yard.
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