Look at the personal stories of how many gardeners began their love of plants and you will find childhood garden experiences. Many children have a natural curiosity about how things grow and the many interesting fauna found in a garden. Almost all children like to pick the flowers or the fruits of a garden. So if your child shows an interest encourage them to try out their own thumbs in the dirt- maybe they will turn out to be green ones!
Garden Plots
Children enjoy gardening
Do you want your child’s garden experiences to include learning about history? Herb gardens are a wonderful start for that, and can branch out in crafty excursions into plant dyes or cooking class. Flowers are always a favorite, and there are many very easy flowers to grow for a first garden.
Fast Results Make It Fun
Zinnias, Nasturtiums, and Marigolds, as well as Calendulas and Candytuft, are larger sized seeds, which sprout quickly and bloom with bright colors- perfect for a child’s first efforts.
Include Their Sense of Smell and Taste
Fruits and vegetables are always a favorite because you can pick the fruit and enjoy it right there in the garden plot. Using transplants gives planting skills, and handling herb plants smells good. Strawberry plants in strawberry jars or filling their own raise bed or patch yield bright red, sweet berries and throw offshoots of baby plantlets.
Add Adventure and Whimsy
Add a little whirligig for fun. Tomato or bean tepees are fascinating structures and a raised bed could make everything accessible and contained (you could always turn it into a sand box if garden interest doesn’t take).
Keep It Simple
little hands planting
Vegetable gardening is also simple in form and gives the satisfaction of adding something to the dinner table. They learn about how food is produced and enjoy making their own contribution. For a child, a small part of the family garden gives them a chance to make a mistake or two, or even find out about the science of plants, or just dig around in their own little space.
Kid Size Tools
Pre-school:
- watering can
- hand fork and trowel
- a pair of gloves
Elementary, add these:
- spade
- soil rake
- leaf rake
For Older Children: add digging fork and a hoe to the above lists. A child sized wheelbarrow is a good idea, since the temptation to fill a full size one results in it being too unwieldy to manage. Children love wheelbarrows! It is a great way to encourage gathering tools together to put away after garden time is done, and joining in on yard cleanup… or just galloping dollies around.
Child Garden Resources
Make a Wormery
Cloud Imaging for Weather Observation
Learn About “Wicked Plants
“- fun history of poisonous plants
My First Garden ~ with Teacher’s Guide
*garden pictures: topleft from Dylan Duverge | bottomright from D. Sharon Pruitt
