Yer Tiz June 2014 Vol 37 No 6 No 6 | Page 19

Send your news, articles and notices to [email protected] LOGS well seasoned, bar stored Shaw Logs Telephone 01249 714009 (Andy) Mobile 07971 000061 Environmentaly Speaking It can be notoriously hard to get some children to eat vegetables, but a really good way for them to get their 5 a day, is to help them grow their own. We know children love to play in the dirt in a garden so why not encourage them? It needs very little room in a garden to grow a few vegetables. This makes it easy to incorporate fresh vegetables into healthy meals and snacks as children will be proud of everything they grow themselves. There are other benefits from gardening as a family: Planting seeds and watching them grow helps children learn about the growth process, the environment and the food they eat. Weeding and watering a garden encourages physical activity and teaches responsibility. Working side by side allows family members, including parents and grandparents, to spend 'time' that will strengthen their relationship in and out of the garden. "Like preparing a favourite family recipe, gardening tips often are handed down from generation to generation. Sharing home-grown produce with others -- neighbours for example -- helps children practice neighbourliness. Rain or shine, count on the weather to offer lessons on the effects of sunshine, a gentle rain versus a thunderstorm, windstorm, hail and drought. Start with a small plot in the garden or even a garden planter in the house to nurture your child's interest in getting in the dirt and to bring your family the many benefits growing a garden can provide. Yer Tiz Atworth Village Magazine—June 2014 Page 19