Gardening with Kids -child gardening Made Easy

Gardening with kids,children gardening is one of the most rewarding things you can do. First, you can use the garden as a teaching tool for a reluctant learning.

It teaches responsibility just like taking care of a pet does, but you never have to clean up an accident, take your child's garden out for a potty walk in the middle of a rainstorm or repair the damage from a teething garden. However, you need to monitor watering and weeding, but its all worth the effort. The most important thing to remember is that you need to break the tasks of gardening with kids down to smaller increments the younger the child.

How to Begin Gardening with Kids

Before you shovel any dirt or plant the first seed, starts gardening , you and your child need to spend an afternoon creating the garden on paper. If you donot have a seed catalogue, go online to several sites that sell seeds or plants and begin there. Find plants that your child would like to grow and then investigate whether they grow in your area. Some seed sites have kid packs created just for this type of gardening.

If you want to get fancy with child gardening, create a grid for your garden and plan the space. This is better for older children since its a little more of a task to complete. The grid should take into consideration sunshine and the amount of space necessary for each plant.

Buying the Seeds or Plants

Even if you shopped online or in a catalogue, it doesnot mean that you have to buy the seeds there. If you want to make it a special outing to prepare for the garden, simply use the process as a way to get your list for the garden ready for the shopping trip.

If you go to the garden supply store or gardening area of a local home improvement store, take along the list. You should have noted specific varieties that grow well in your area. If your child is able to read, have them look for the appropriate variety. If he hasnot developed reading skills, let him look for the picture of the plant, particularly if its a vegetable. Both of these activities are great for building skills when gardening with children.

Tilling the area is one task best left to an adult or older child. If the garden is extremely small, everyone can help turn the soil, but remember, its backbreaking work. Pace yourself for a little each day. Children often get bored easily during this process, especially since hand turning the soil takes a long time.

Once you turn the soil, everyone can join in the process of leveling it and dividing it into areas. Depending on the age of the child, you can plant the same day. The younger your kid, the more you have to break the steps down into smaller amounts of time. For a preschooler, planting one row of seed several times throughout the day is often enough for their attention span.

Make sure you clearly mark the rows where the seed or plants are located. A great idea is to stake the rows and tie string to the stakes. Plant directly below the area where the string is. Often new plants are hard to identify and this gives you a guide to their location.

Tiny seeds are difficult to handle, there are several ways to help small hands. One is to make a cone from paper taped together with an opening at one end just big enough to let a seed or out of it. Have your child put their finger on the opening of the cone, holding the cone in the other hand. Fill it with seed and then let him release the seeds one at a time as he moves down the rows.

Watching the Plants

As your garden starts to grow, making a big event of each step in the process is important. Take pictures of the plants and email them to Grandma or Grandpa. This instills pride and shares the accomplishments.

Create a schedule for the gardening with kids so you have at least 15 minutes of gardening time each day. Make the time consistent so your child has something to look forward to doing.

Harvest the Plants.

Whether your gardening with the kids produced flowers or vegetables, the harvest is always the most fun. If you grew flowers that you can cut and create into a bouquet, make a bouquet for the house and one for Grandma, a dear friend or neighbor. Vegetables, of course, are part of all the meals for the summer once harvest begins.

Types of Vegetables Best for Kid Gardens

Peas are a disappointment and so is spinach if you plan to cook it. Both take a lot of harvest to produce a small amount of food. Green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peppers and pumpkins are always a great deal of fun. No matter what plants you choose, gardening with kids helps math skills, reading skills and most of all creates wonderful memories for years to come.

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