Getting Your Kids Involved With Gardening
The whole idea of allowing children to play in the yard is repugnant to some individuals. Seedlings are often trodden on or sat upon by youngsters in their early years. They will plant the seeds either too deeply or not deeply enough, which will result in the seeds being submerged. Next, they will rapidly grow bored, and then they will be stung by a wasp or a bee. Why then should we get youngsters involved in gardening? Because involving them may teach them (and you) important things that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Bring Your Sense of Humor
Let’s be honest: gardening with kids comes with its own set of special obstacles. Someone who is impatient, cranky, and simply wants to get the work done can manage these circumstances (which isn’t enjoyable for anyone), or someone who is patient and looks past the mess to the comedy of recounting the story in their old age may handle these situations well.
Be Balanced
Children are children no matter what. They are not childlike versions of adults. They will get preoccupied with a butterfly and chase it throughout the garden, trampling seedlings as they go. You should remind them in a gentle way about the seeds, but you should also give yourself permission to appreciate the wonderment on your child’s face. Consider the following: in the grand scheme of things, the demise of a few plants here and there won’t make all that much of a difference unless your household is on the verge of starvation. When you plant your garden, make allowances for it, and you will be better prepared for anything may go wrong in the future.
The ability to focus is yet another obstacle to take into account. It is possible that you may need to expose your kid to gardening in 15-minute increments, but this will depend on the youngster. You’ll be able to extend the amount of time they spend in the garden as they become older.
Be Prepared
Your youngster may not look forward to their second day of gardening if they receive a nasty sunburn on their first day of gardening. Even if the temperature does not seem to be very high, you should still make sure that your kid is protected from the sun by using sunscreen and wearing a hat. In addition, if the time spent gardening is going to be lengthy, you should make sure that cool beverages, food, and any other necessities are within close proximity. You may make gardening a more delightful experience for the both of you if you are prepared to maintain the youngster at a suitable temperature while you work.
Give Them Their Own Tools
When your youngster sees you using a shovel or hoe, they will most likely want to do the same thing. Make sure kids each have their own set of child-sized tools for digging, weeding, and any other tasks they may need to do. If the children are really young, you may want to consider providing them with plastic tools rather than metal ones.
Give Each Child His or Her Own Space
If it is at all feasible, you should provide each kid with a separate area that they can call their own and allow them to grow anything they like. Greens like lettuce, spinach, and kale are examples of plants that are appropriate for youngsters to care for. Children get a kick out of the challenge of unearthing the radishes, which develop rapidly after being planted in the ground. Peas are an excellent crop for children to cultivate since they germinate very rapidly, may be harvested as early as the beginning of summer, and can be consumed right out of the garden. Sugar snap peas are one of the vegetables that my own kid enjoys eating the most.
Remember the Goal
When working with children in the garden, it is important to keep in mind that the primary objective is not always to complete the chores in the quickest and most effective manner possible, but rather to provide the kid with an experience that they may draw on in the future. If you keep these things in mind, gardening with children may be a really rewarding experience for everyone involved.
More valuable than the food you harvest from your garden will be the memories you make while tending to it amid the fresh air and beauty of your garden. The acquisition of a few home-grown carrots or potatoes at the end of summer is a far less essential life lesson than the encouragement of a child’s feeling of wonder in being a part of the cycle of life. This is a lesson that is much more vital.
