Gardening With Children
No matter where you live- a small apartment, a house in the city or the country there is always a place to grow a small family garden.
When my oldest was a baby we lived in a small split unit with a tiny wooden porch in the back. There we grew our very first container garden including zucchini, tomatoes, onion, cucumber and lettuce.
Benefits of Gardening with Children: teaches patience & delayed gratification
provides a sense of purpose, responsibility and empowerment
offers hands-on and experiential botany
boosts their mood and reduces anxiety
provides a source of physical movement and gets them outside
encourages picky eaters to try new homegrown fruits & veggies
teaches them about where their food comes from
helps children develop a strong immune system via working with the soil
Five Ways Children Can Help In The Garden:
- Planting Seedlings – Before planting outdoors have children help plant seeds into seedlings containers
- Weeding – Show children what weeds look like and what the plant looks like. Children over 4 are actually very enthusiastic and focused at this task.
- Pest Control – What children doesn’t love finding snails and caterpillars! Have them collect them into jars and then do what you need to with them later.
- Watering – A little watering can with a long thin spout will keep children busy and engaged.
- Harvesting – We all love to harvest what we’ve sown! Show children how to twist zucchinis and tomatoes off the vine, cut lettuce or pick flower heads.
Do you garden with your kids? What’s their favourite part of the process? What’s the most challenging part? I invite you to join the conversation over on my Instagram @meaganrosewilson on a specific post on gardening if you feel called.
If you are interested in planting a small garden but aren’t sure where to start, let’s set up a call and I can point you in the right direction.
