With spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start thinking about outdoor activities for your kids. One great spring activity is planting a garden. Your kids will be able to learn that their food doesn't magically show up in a store but instead is carefully cultivated and harvested in a garden. Organic gardening is a rewarding experience for you and your children. You'll get to spend quality time with them and can visually see the fruits of your labor throughout the garden season. Although it may not sound too exciting for your kids at first, there are still ways to get them involved. Here are 10 creative ways to get your kids into organic gardening. We hope that this Gardening for Kids post inspires you.
Your child will love that they have their own space to work. They can take full responsibility for their plot of land. Plus, they'll be able to dig and play in the dirt. A small planter box is plenty big enough for kids. You don't have to devote half of your garden to your child's imagination. The smaller space will be much more manageable. Just make sure it's large enough for them to water, plant, and weed without tramping growing plants.
In addition to their land, provide them with tools. Adult gardening tools will be too large for them to safely and effectively use. Many gardening supply stores will sell smaller sets of garden tools for children. You can also get them gardening accessories, like gloves, a hat, and an apron. Of course, you should still supervise your children when they're using tools, especially if they're younger or it's their first time using a certain gardening tool.
Kinderific Gardening Set
Give your kids the choice to pick what they want to plant. If you just tell them what to grow, they may not be as interested in organic gardening. Some plants take more care than others, so maybe start by showing them 10 or so options they can choose from that you know grow well in your region. Make sure these are plants they recognize as well. Once the plants are ready to harvest, your child will likely want to consume them since they grew them!
There are so many ways your child can decorate their garden! They can add dinosaurs to make it look like Jurassic Park, monster trucks, garden fairies or any other theme they want. Plus, they can craft signs for each seed they plant as garden markers. That way, they'll know where each type of plant is located. It makes the garden fun and full of colors.
Younger children often need direction to complete a task. They won't know right away when to water their plants, how deep to plant them or if they should add compost to the plants. Watering the garden is much more fun than other chores, too. Their garden is their responsibility, so maybe for a week, their task is to weed the garden or water it. Little jobs like that are easier for them to accomplish, and they love to help!
Kids love to watch their parents. They'll learn so much about organic gardening if you work alongside them. It will be an excellent way for you to bond with them as well. Your children will have this as a lasting memory, so don't just send them out to the garden independently. Accompany them through the journey of organic gardening.
Perhaps the greatest reward of planting an organic garden is harvesting the organic produce! Your kids will see that their food doesn't have to come from a grocery store, but rather that they can produce it themselves. Provide them with a basket and let them pick everything ripe. Then, cook a meal with those fresh veggies! If you planted flowers, you can harvest them and show them off as the centerpiece on the dining room table.
As your kids become more involved in organic gardening, allow them to get involved in a community garden. Many towns have groups of gardeners who get together to garden. They'll learn even more about the practice with other people! If you don't have a community garden, see if you can start your own. Community gardens offer social interaction and provide the community with better nutrition.
Kids love to read stories, and there are many books for children about organic gardening. Learning through another medium will help them grasp the concept even more and get them more excited about gardening. They can learn about composting, the basics of organic gardening, and ways to ward off pests. If they would like to learn through video, you can search for kid-friendly videos about gardening as well.
At the end of the growing season, you and your children can head to the farmer's market and sell your produce if you have a surplus. Throughout the spring and summer, you can take them every week to enjoy the fruit and vegetable stands as well as any other activity the market offers. They'll get excited to go back to their garden to continue growing and caring for their plants!
Your kids will learn a wealth of skills by organic gardening. It will get them excited about eating vegetables and helping the environment. Plus, you and your kids will remember the memories for years to come. We hope that this Gardening for Kids post inspires you. Happy gardening!
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