bending, digging, lifting, pulling and raking. Gross
and fine motor skills are used, and even the youngest
gardener, with simple tasks, gets physical activity.
9. Gardening helps children become
environmental stewards.
When children start reaping the food and flowers that
come from a garden, they realize a garden’s impact
on them and their impact on the garden. Once they
have this tangible experience, it is much easier to
teach them to care for the environment.
10. Gardening can lead to a longer life.
Studies show that adults who garden in their later
years live longer. Instead of living a sedentary life,
gardeners get off the couch and are active in nature.
Teaching children good habits when they are young
will make them more likely to follow them
through life.
Sow the seeds of a garden with your child today and
see them reap the benefits for a lifetime.
Janeen Lewis is a freelance journalist and mother of
two. She loves to teach gardening to children.
CREATIVE THEME GARDENS TO GROW WITH KIDS
These interesting themes are a great way inspire children to garden.
Pizza Garden
Grow all the herbs to add to a pizza. For an extra touch, make the
garden round like a pizza.
Fairy Garden
This garden includes both plants and miniature structures and is a
great place for your child’s imagination to grow.
Pollinator Garden
Build a garden that attracts butterflies, bees, birds, bats and other
insects and animals that will help pollinate plants. Try planting
milkweed, zinnias and snapdragons.
Herb Garden
Herb gardens are a great way to foray into the world of gardening.
They can be grown inside or outside and include plants such as basil,
oregano, sage, thyme, parsley and many more.
Art Garden
Students can grow flowers and plants that can be used to make art,
or they can grow a garden of plants for kids to sketch.
NO YARD? NO PROBLEM!
When your backyard is
a concrete patio or an
apartment balcony it’s hard to
imagine growing a bountiful
garden. But it can be done in
containers. Choose some eco-friendly containers with drainage holes
in the bottom, fill them with a potting mix, and then choose seeds or
seedlings to plant. Another option is to grow an herb garden inside on a
sunny window ledge.
A great resource for starting a container garden is “The Vegetable
Gardener’s Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs,
and Other Containers” by Edward C. Smith.
This book teaches even beginning gardeners how to grow organic food
in small spaces. The book covers container and tool selection, caring for
plants and controlling pests without chemicals.
With a little research and tender care, you can grow flowers and
vegetables that flourish.
Maze Garden
Create a maze with hedges, grasses or corn. In the middle of the
maze, put something interesting like a sculpture, fountain, or another
special garden bed.
Peter Rabbit Garden
Grow the vegetables found in Mr. McGregor’s garden. The great
thing about this garden is that you can grow some of the vegetables
– carrots, lettuce, radishes and cabbage – in cool weather, so you
could continue to garden into fall.
Salsa Garden
Grow tomatoes, peppers, and onions to make a delicious salsa.
Wildflower Garden
Visit a nature preserve to discover the native wildflower plants in
your area. Then build a garden with those flowers.
Three Sister’s Garden
Teach children about plants that grow well together, like corn, beans,
and squash by cultivating the three in one mound.
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