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The sun is out and the weather is warming up! You know what that means right? Now is the time to think about sowing some seeds indoors. So get your gardening tools out of the shed and put them to work. But they’re not the only ones put to work: find some little helpers to help you too! Gardening is a fantastic way to not only teach children about plants and vegetables, but also a great opportunity to teach them about work and patience. It’s never too early to get them involved! I’ll share some tips I’ve found along the way.
1. Allow your child to explore plants with all their senses.
Children who experience being outdoors in nature at a young age are more likely to enjoy being outdoors as adults, so start this love young! Children are naturally curious about their surroundings and want to use all of their senses to experience the world. Let them be able to do this by taking them to your local botanical gardens, nurseries or even farmers market and let them just experiment.
I brought my little one to buy seeds and loved watching him explore all the plant life around him. Have you ever smelled lemon thyme? It’s divine! Soon enough, he was the one pointing out different plants and making me feel and smell them with him.
2. Involve your child in choosing what to grow in your garden.
This gets your child excited about the process and hopefully excited about trying new foods that they otherwise wouldn’t have wanted to try. I let them have their own little area for their own garden so they could feel ownership of their experience. You’ll be able to see more of that when we’re ready to plant outdoors.
Careful! It’s so much fun…it’s easy to go a little seed crazy. Make sure to throw in some seeds that are fairly easy to plant and grow. This way I know the experience will be positive even if only one thing survives.
3. Find kid-friendly tools and kits to experiment with and get them excited about the experience.
I found some supplies for a dollar at Target that got my son so excited to help and that was all he could talk about all week. Again, this gives you a sense of ownership in the process and makes it even more exciting.
4. Involve them in the ENTIRE process, including the complicated part.
This is the fun part! Allowing your child to feel and experience the dirt between their fingers is a great sensory activity.
TIP: I suggest taking an old plastic container and mixing up some seed starting mix and letting it pour in warm water a little at a time.
Then, let them mix it with their hands…yes, with their hands. Make sure your hands are clean first!
Get your hands there with them! You want the mixture to feel moist throughout but not drip when you pick it up. It will feel light to the touch and like a wrung out sponge.
We had so much fun that it was difficult to move on to planting the seed.
TIP: Make sure there is sufficient drainage. I know my son well and he loves to water. So, I punched holes in the box and put it in a plastic container just in case.
TIP: I have found that using a dripper is a great way for young children to help water without overwatering. He also loves to use his special spray bottle to mist.
5. Let go of perfection or any expectations.
This is not the time to get frustrated with your child if he or she doesn’t do it exactly as you would have done it. It may not look pretty and there may even be some seeds that don’t germinate, but you can always buy starters later if you need to! It’s more about the experience you share with your child and creating a good attitude towards gardening. You can always find a lesson in every teaching moment. So if things don’t work out, consider it a big lesson in how things don’t always go the way you want them to.
Well, we are done with the planting. TIP: Once you’ve placed the seeds as directed (although with a three-year-old that may not have happened exactly) and labeled them, I like to use plastic wrap or a plastic lid to help keep them warm and moist. Then, place it next to a warm, sunny window and watch what happens. When you see the first set of true leaves appear, you can remove the plastic wrap. Be sure to check the soil every day to make sure it is moist but not too wet or too dry.
Again, what a great lesson to teach your child about patience. It can be hard to wait (even for adults!)…so you’ll have to practice waiting with us for our kindergarten results in a future post!
For now, I want to know: what does your family like to plant in your garden?
xo
You can find more of my ideas for children at: weedstowishes.com
