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Helping Your Kid’s Grow a Garden
by Rondi Hillstrom Davis
Start some gardening traditions with your kids. Give them their own
garden patch and a spot to dig. Children love getting their hands dirty
and watching things grow.
Be sure to buy good quality, child sized gardening tools. Plastic toy
versions just won’t hold up to the task. You will also need children’s
gloves and a watering can.
Mark off the garden area and turn the soil. Kids can help break up any
lumps with their hands. Work in some organic compost.
Choose seeds that will grow quickly. Small children get impatient if
their plants take too long to sprout. Radishes, Snapdragons, Cosmos, and
Sunflowers will all germinate quickly. Carrots and strawberries are also
easy to grow-- and yummy to eat.
Large seeds like beans and Morning Glories are easy for small fingers to
push into the ground. You can start your seeds indoors in an eggshell
carton. When the seedlings are an inch high, tear off the egg carton,
and leaving the soil intact, transplant the seedlings outside.
Or, try placing beans on a wet paper towel inside a zip top bag. Tape
the bag to a sunny window and wait for the seeds to germinate. I can
remember, as a child, checking my beans every morning before school. The
first shoots appeared to my delight and we carefully transplanted the
beans outdoors.
Make garden markers by painting small rocks. This will help kids keep
track of their selections.
Make it fun! Grow a sunflower house by planting the sunflowers in a
circle with a space in the middle big enough for your kids to hide. Be
sure to leave room for a door.
Grow a spaghetti garden. Plant herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary
and parsley. My kids love to snip fresh herbs. They stuff their pockets
full of scented “spaghetti” herbs.
Share your garden with butterflies and hummingbirds. Zinnias, Verbena,
and Cosmos are butterfly favorites. Hummingbirds love the nectar from
Nasturtium and Lantana, and Hollyhocks.
Children love to pick up bugs and worms. Poke holes in the top of an old
jar. Add some dirt and a few, new found specimens. Be sure to release
the critters back into nature after a few hours.
Arm your kids with cameras to take photos throughout the summer. They
will enjoy remembering the fruits of their labor. And, the pictures will
help your budding gardener plan for next year.
Happy planting! And don’t forget to pick a few bouquets for mom.
About the Author
Rondi Hillstrom Davis is the co-author of the award-winning book
“Together: Creating Family Traditions”. To check out her website that's
jam packed with family ideas, visit
www.togetherparenting.com. To subscribe to her online newsletter, go
to
www.togetherparenting.com/feedback.asp
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