Summer time? Gardening with your children is a good idea
Considering that all kids normally love to play with dirt in our garden, so why not teach them gardening? While the summer is approaching, try to teach them gardening in a fun way, get these youngsters to be enthused about having their own special garden.
Encourage them to pick what type of plant they want to grow. Take them to gardening store and show them different sort of seed packet that can tempt them with the pictures. For starters, it’s better to point them towards quick growing plants like peas, radishes, cucumbers, corn, beans, etc. These are the plants that require less effort to make it grow.
Here are the steps:
Choosing the right Plants
In most cases, kids would prefer to grow vegetables they like to eat. They want to see their creation grow fast and produce fast like vegetables. However, remind them to have some varieties in the garden including having flowers to illuminate your garden with bright colors. Try sunflowers or roses for example, kids love them.
Plant the seeds
Help your kids on how to put the seeds in the soil. Some seeds may be too small for their little fingers, but try to teach them how to cover the seeds in the soil in the best manner.
Encourage them to make a garden journal
In order to be more organized in planting the seeds, teach them to start a garden journal while waiting until the plants come up. Creating pictures and making notes about when they planted the seeds and when they first saw a sprout pushing up or even when there is a bug that visits. This will stimulate their curiosity and will let their interest grow more and more intense.
Find the right place for your kids
Choose the right spot for the kids. To start the garden picks a sunny spot in your backyard near where the kids usually play. The more they see the garden, the more they will notice changes.
Let them own their own garden
Try to mark each plant with tag or seed packet that mention your child’s name so everybody will notice that the garden is theirs. This will create the feel of proudness for you’re the kids and it will encourage them to plan the garden as beautiful as possible for anyone to see.
Remind your kids to watch over the plants regularly
Some kids tend to forget or ignore the plants as they find other fun things to do like playing in the living room with their toys. So this is our job to remind them to water them regularly and give them a sense of responsibility to take care of their own garden. Lead them to visit their garden at least once a day just in case they are busy with other things.
Provide information about the whole environment
Teach your children about mulching and composting, by leading them to spread grass clipping and shredded leaves around the plants to conserve additional water and to feed the plants. They also have to be informed with the existence of interesting insects. Educate them to distinguish harmless/interesting insects to plants from the pests that can menace the plants.
Let them discover by themselves the progress of their plants
Kids tend to be impatient about the result of their plants. They may try to pull up the radishes just to see if they are ready. Inform them about the right timing for pulling up the radishes and remind them to note the progress in their journal garden to make them know better their own garden.
Let them learn from their own mistakes Let the kids have a total control of their own garden
If it’s messy, it’s their mess. Let them enjoy it and take pride in their own piece of land.
P
House and Gardening Addicts 
