Watch your kids blossom as they learn to dig gardening
Gardening has for a long time been deemed an adult activity but National Children’s Gardening Week – Sunday May 23 to Sunday May 30 – aims to also get your youngsters digging the pastime.
The outdoor activity helps kids develop new skills and learn more about nature and science. By growing their food, children learn how to prepare the soil for plants, weed them, water the plants, and harvest the food.
Shannen Godwin, spokesperson for J Parker’s, one the leading plant and bulb companies in the UK, said: “We have so much to gain by challenging us to involve our kids in this day-to-day activity because the cognitive gains are significant.
“Gardening and interacting with nature improves kids’ creativity since they discover new and exciting ways to grow food. Plus, as they learn about nature and the environment, they’re able to reason and get new knowledge about the science of plants, animals, and weather, and how they’re all connected.”
J Parker’s shares what parents, guardians, grandparents or schools can do to take the young ones to the backyard.
How to get kids interested in gardening
Few kids would follow you to the garden straight off the bat. And if they do go for the first time, it’s no guarantee that they’ll join you in the second. So how would you ensure a garden is a fun place for them?
Firstly, keep it simple. Don’t soak them with jargon or intense activity on day one.
Secondly, make sure they have their own garden space. You can start with a few pots and a large container before taking a portion off the garden itself.
Finally, involve older children in the design and planning of the garden. This will attract younger kids to the “club”, where the older children can be their mentors.
Child-proof plants
While few plants are either poisonous when ingested
or hard to take care of, focus their attention on these fuzzy, plain fun and vibrant plants instead.
Ferns
Most ferns are childproof, making them safe for a kids’ garden, but also beautiful plants that filter the air as well.
Sweet Peas
The sweet pea is easy to grow and blooms into a colorful plant. This annual flower is usually at home in either a border garden, cutting garden, an arch or woodland.
Scientifically known as the Lathyrus odoratus, the incredibly scented blooms come in a variety of colors.
Primroses
The primrose is yet another easy-to-grow plant that children can have fun with over the summer half-term. It is a spring wildflower that blooms into a variety of colors. This perennial plant
is also great for planting in containers and pots.
Pansies
The pansy is a popular choice for kids thanks to its abundance of both summer and winter colors.
Pansies grow great in patio containers, borders, and pots. Plus, they require regular deadheading, which offers the kids an opportunity to learn a gardening technique.
Strawberries
The strawberry is easy to plant and requires very little maintenance. The Strawberry Florence, for instance, a late strawberry variety, is known to be hardy and resilient to diseases. It thrives in sunny locations either at the garden border, patio pots, or allotments. Once it produces fruit, the children will have fun harvesting, eating, and storing the delicious fruit which they can use to supplement their meals as well.