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Building A Family Garden - How to Garden With Kids
by Dominic Weidman
http://www.iamgardening.com
Gardening is an activity that your whole family can join in
and enjoy. It's not at all difficult to make allowances and
modifications that will let even the youngest child in your
family feel like they're an active, important part of the
fun.
This article will not help you build a perfect garden. It
will, I hope, make you stop and think, take a few moments to
reflect, and then... take the nearest child by the hand and
lead them into the garden with you to share a love of nature
that will live with them forever.
You can introduce your children to gardening from the time
that they're infants. When you go out to weed or water, take
the baby with you. A playpen or bassinet in a bit of shade
is a great place for a baby or toddler to be part of things
without being in the way.
It was an accidental beginning to my community gardening
adventures. By the end of that day, the dirty, rubble-choked
lot boasted three separate gardens, each bordered with hand
built rock walls. By summer's end, the 'hood had melded into
a community, and the garden was thriving. In the process, I
learned some important how-tos about gardening with kids.
On a spring afternoon, when they get home from school, be
out in the garden with spade and pitchfork. Pick out a patch
of ground with a 5 year old and help him mark it off with
twigs and string. Give your two year old a plastic shovel
and a corner of his own to dig. Ignore the dirt. The nice
thing about kids is - they wash up pretty.
Give them a patch of their own. Kids love having their own
space, and gardening is no exception. You'll be surprised
how seriously they take the responsibility of tending their
own little plot.
One afternoon just after the seeds sprout, pull out the
aluminum pie tins and string and a threaded needle. Let them
cut and shape, poke holes and string the diamonds and
circles and squares on garden twine. When they're done, let
them help you string it while you explain how the sparkly
fluttering brightness discourages the birds from eating
their seedlings.
Even if you give each kid their own garden patch, make them
a part of yours, too. One great way of letting them feel
special is to give them a handful of seeds and let them
trail you along a garden row. You poke the hole, they drop
in the seed, and you cover it over. No matter who does the
weeding and watering all summer long, they'll proudly
declare that you're eating MY beans for dinner tonight.
Bean teepees are one of the most fun gardening activities
you can do. Pick a patch of sunny ground, build a teepee
with gardening stakes. Plant runner beans and morning
glories around the base of each, and as they grow, train the
vines to grow up the poles. By the middle of summer, you'll
have a shady little hideaway that your kids will love
playing in.
As summer draws to an end, sit out in the late afternoon sun
with the culls and picks from your garden. Let them get
their little fingers into the act, picking the seeds for
next year's garden. Show them how to gently stir and turn
the trays of seeds you're drying. Those same little fingers
can hold a knot when you tie up the brown paper packages
with twine. Tuck them away in your gardening closet, ready
to bring out on a cold winter day when there's just a hint
of spring's promise in the sun.
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