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Great Gardening Ideas To Share 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.
Years later, when I found myself in a three-decker in the
middle of the 'shabby' part of town, Nana's garden returned
to haunt me. My own children were growing up in a world of
broken asphalt, surrounded by weed-choked lots and crumbling
buildings.
As winter draws to a close, rummage around in your garden
closet - you know, the one where you keep your tools and
your supplies. Bring out the seeds and beans you saved at
the end of last year, the ones that you wrapped in brown
paper bags and parcel string so they'd be ready for this
year's planting. As you sort and study them, as you prepare
for planting, have the patience to let little fingers
fumble. Take the time to show little eyes how to tell a a
runner bean seed from a string bean seed. Remind them which
ones were the blue flowers and which were the tomatoes. They
will absorb your enthusiasm and love for the process, and a
great deal of knowledge you don't even know you're giving
them.
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.
Be ready with a selection of easy-to-grow seeds for them,
but don't be surprised if the seeds from last night's
watermelon or the peach pit left over from lunch hold more
interest. Let them plant whatever they want, even as you
encourage a little more practicality with seeds that
germinate quickly, like marigolds, peppers and beans.
Besides those, there are a few plants that are ever popular
with kids. There's not a child alive who hasn't imagined
planting Jack's beanstalk, or growing a huge pumpkin like
Cinderella's. Pumpkins, beans and squash are prolific
growers in almost any region of the United States, so let
them go for it. Their early success will encourage them to
stick with it.
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.
Help them build a 'bean tent'. Just arrange the poles in a
teepee shape, tie the tops together, and train the bean
plants to grow up along them. By midsummer, the kids will
have a Jack in the Beanstalk house where they can hide away
from the sun.
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.
When you plant and garden with your kids, you share with a
love of the earth, a reverence for nature, and the seeds of
a hobby that will last a lifetime. Gardening together is a
gift that will build memories to treasure forever.
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