The Cordele Dispatch
Cordele Dispatch
December 16, 2005 02:36 pm
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What do you get when you mix a pile of soil, some seeds or fledgling plants, and a couple of children eager to spend hours digging and playing in the mud? You have an afternoon of fun you would have never expected! And your kids can develop a lifelong love of gardening in the process.
With an array of materials for digging and pouring, like peat, soil, and sand, combined with the sense of accomplishment and excitement little ones can receive when they see their plants grow and flourish, gardening is one of those activities tailor-made for little hands and imaginations. Gardening can also foster skills like responsibility, patience, and perseverance, as children become solely responsible for the survival of a living thing.
GETTING STARTED
Before you introduce gardening to youngsters and give them free reign in the backyard, it may be wise to start out on a smaller scale. Keep in mind their age and ability level. For example, don't expect wonders from a toddler or kindergartner. They may be content just by picking dandelions, chasing toads or worms in the soil, or planting seeds from apples or watermelons. Try this simple activity for little ones:
Take a clear-plastic 8-ounce drinking cup.
Fill about three-fourths of the cup with moistened cotton balls.
Sprinkle grass seeds on top of the cotton balls.
Cover seeds with more moistened cotton balls.
Place the cup in a sunny window.
Have your child keep the cotton moist, but not sopping. After a few days, the grass seeds should start to sprout. Your child can delight in seeing the root system form and be clearly visible through the clear-plastic cup, as well as the grass that starts to grow tall over the rim of the cup.
You may also want to start your children out with other potted plants. Empty egg cartons make great separated "planters" for little green thumbs to experiment with. When heading out to the garden center, pick hearty seeds that germinate quickly so your child will be able to see results relatively quickly.
MOVING OUTDOORS
You don't want your prized roses to be demolished by a rambunctious youngster, so set boundaries for outdoor gardening. Create a spot for "kids only" that's separate from the "adult" gardening area. You can add fun accents like windcatchers, garden accessories, and stepping stones. Install edging around the garden so soil and plants will be well contained. Keep in mind that youngsters will need to be supervised around garden tools and gardening chemicals (fertilizers, weed products, etc.).
Encourage your children to recognize the good and bad bugs of a garden. Worms, ladybugs, and butterflies are beneficial to flowers and plants. However, certain beetles, caterpillars, and other insects may not be. Spend a day reading up on the bugs your child may find in the garden, and look over pictures of these crawly creatures together.
FIELD TRIPS
Don't spend all of your time cooped up in the house or in the yard. Explore gardens of all shapes and sizes with your children. Visit your local botanical garden and spend a day wandering through the exhibits. Many of these places of wonder show the different garden habitats, like deserts and rainforests, as well as offer an up-close look at plants that can spark the imagination and learning potential of young minds. Not near a botanical garden? Substitute a trip to your local nursery.
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