Gardening with Grandkids
This article is courtesy of Mature Living.
During the days of video games and computers, grandparents need to get creative to spend time with grandchildren. No matter their age, pull your grandkids out of the dark shadows of the computer room and into the fresh air of your garden. If you don't have a garden, make creating and maintaining one a joint project between you and your grandkids.
Gardening with grandchildren will be time well spent as you develop a closer relationship with them. Use this time to encourage a healthy respect for the beautiful world that God created. Gardening also offers the opportunity to teach your grandchildren important lessons about life, such as patience, the rewards of labor, and commitment. They will also realize that enjoyment can be found in places other than at the computer or in front of a television.
Keep your grandchildren interested by making gardening fun. Suggest projects appropriate for your grandkids' ages. While older grandchildren might enjoy planting a vegetable garden, younger grandchildren will enjoy looking for worms. Allow your grandchildren to cut blooms to take to parents and teachers.
Build a scarecrow with old clothes and a hat. Buy books that offer enlightening information on your plants, so that your grandchildren can take part in garden care. Remember that getting dirty is an integral part of living.
Involve grandchildren in garden planning. Take them with you to the garden store to buy supplies. Show them seed packets, and let them pick their favorite flowers or vegetables. Use a variety of colors, or try to plant several different vegetables. This could be a great learning experience for young children as they watch plants sprout, bloom, and bear fruit.
However, gardens can be a potentially dangerous environment for small children, so never leave them unsupervised. Avoid planting anything that is poisonous, such as castor beans. Make wide paths for children to walk through the garden. Doing this will prevent injuries to children and plants. Most importantly, keep them away from dangerous equipment, such as tools or fencing.
Plan frequent meetings with your grandchildren to maintain the condition of the garden. Give them specific jobs to do or plants to care for. If your grandchildren live in a different town, encourage them to visit whenever possible to participate in the garden's upkeep.
Assign different sections of the garden to each child, and allow him or her to plant and maintain that section. This will give the children a sense of pride when their plants begin to bloom. This will also allow them to customize their garden section with plants that fit their interests.
Like flowers, grandchildren grow up fast. Don't miss the chance to see their beauty.
Tips for Gardening with Grandchildren:
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Playing in the dirt is fun for most young children, so allow them to dig the holes.
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Growing vegetables could encourage children to eat food they might normally refuse.
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Plant radishes because sprouts will surface quickly, within three to four days.
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Buy children their own gardening tools to prevent squabbles with other grandkids
or injury from sharp adult tools. -
Work in small groups. Avoid inviting all the grandkids at the same time for a full
day of gardening. -
Label each plant group, so that your grandkids can remember what was planted.
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