Some benefits derived from gardening with your children are that it opens into a magic world of discovery. The little hands will itch to dig everywhere, and the brains have sprouted a thousand-and-one questions. Maybe it’s really quite an interesting ride to get them started with a potager garden.
Just guess the excitement in them when they say, “They had planted these seeds, saw shoots peep out of the soil, and then grew up into mature plants with flowers and fruits.”.
Sunflowers, well, they just are garden stops, but kings and queens of delight. They grow tall and almost seem to smile at the kids. They are quite an acrobat, too, following the sun across the sky. Now, it is time to ring in a challenge to your kids: “How tall will your sunflower grow?” Am telling you, the friendly competition can just be quite the hoot.
Other sweetheart picks are mint plants. Just think about it: just a fistful of those leaves, and voilà-a cooling amount of fresh essence is inhaled. Just one sprig, and suddenly everything feels cooler. Kids will love crushing them simply because of their smell. Plus, mint grows like rumors and never runs out fast.
Cherry tomatoes reveal their bright red treasures, almost as if hidden buried, coming into view within the garden. Kids pull them right off the vine to eat fresh. So sweet, popping with juices! Turn it into a game to find the ripened ones-like looking for rubies in a treasure box.
Carrots are one of those underground wonders. There’s little in gardening that tops the experience of pulling a fresh, bright orange carrot out of the earth. It’s like magic. And the looks on the children’s faces when it finally dawns on them-yes, they grew them-are just priceless. The bonus here is that this is one veggie most kids will munch with abandon. Pair this carrot-growing business with a fun soil-cleaning mission, and you’re golden.
And it is during this time that snapdragons roar with colored blooms, and the name itself turns into a fountain of curiosity. Show your kids how to gently pinch the blooms, and voilà! It looks like the flowers open their jaws. Kids will get kicks out of making these blooms talk-silently. When you tell them stories of dragons and knights, snapdragons make for a perfect backdrop.
Ah, yes, and then there’s a whole world of marigolds: bright flowers which, by their very nature, ward off just the very bugs which would ruin them. Just think of having your little knights out in the garden righting the wrongs. Kids think they’re defending their flower kingdom!
Radishes deliver zippy satisfaction. They grow so quickly, almost like time-lapse photography in real life. Pretty soon after planting, those little fellows peek out and announce: “I’m ready, look!”. A peppery bite offers growing palates a new sensation—perfect for the bold.
The pea may be one tale of sweet patience and reward. Allowing them to watch their curl-up tendrils wrap around supports will keep kids on their toes. Then, finally, those pods dangle, and it is game on! Younglings will adore opening them up and finding peas snugly inside-nearly like opening up an oyster to find pearls.
Growing Young Minds: Potager Garden Activities for Children
In this fast tide of digitized information that is life today, the idea of introducing kids to the world of gardening seems like a fresh breath of air. One such concept is that of a potager garden: where vegetables, herbs, and flowers combine in beauty. This presents an excellent route for exposure to the natural world-in fact, it is like giving them a passport to a mini-universe right beneath their feet.
Whispers of leaves, humming of bees, and silenced the noise of the electronic games in the background. Imaging the kids teaching them how to plant the seed, water the sapling, and get the magic going on an adventure around the world. Well, one day, the other day, while getting ready to move outside to have this gardening, my inquisitive nephew asked me, “Why does the sun make plants so happy?” That indeed was my cue to dive into this enchanting experience.
The best starting point here is giving your children their patch. This little ownership will instill pride and a sense of responsibility within them. Kids have no greater joy than ownership-be it some favorite toys or the plants, which become their very own babies. They will run all around, like a bee in a bonnet, to check upon their green friends at every available opportunity.
Now, make it a show and tell, a sensual delight for kids: show them variety in texture: velvety lamb’s ear or spiky pineapple sage; let them bury their noses into fragrant basil or peppermint. Their reaction is hilarious: “This smells just like grandma’s spaghetti!” one child once blurred when sniffing on basil leaves.
Take storytime outdoors to the garden. Prefabricated stories about resident fairies and gnomes that live among the flowers and other plants act as wonderful catalysts for a child’s imagination. You might say, “See this marigold? It is the gnome’s favorite suncloak. They wear them to cocktail parties at the stroke of midnight.” Tales take it from activity to adventure. Get them to do some light work in the garden. The water cans are some comical accessories, show them how to sprinkle water with every plant in secret, and they will learn it so fast, like they learn everything else without letting a single drop be wasted. Well, one of those would be rainy-day gardening. Just give them rain boots and let them splash in puddles, catching earthworms and learning how nature sheds its watercoat, because on days like this, it is like Earth is just taking this refreshing long shower, and they would just love to join in.
Also, introduce them to its life cycle. Get them a clear glass jar, place a seed in a disc of cotton wool and watch those first tentative green shoots pop out. It’s a lot like watching paint dry, but this is sure to mesmerize them. They can learn to love nature as the slow but passionate artist it is. Other fun activities are making garden arts. Collect the stones they can paint and use as markers. One creative juvenile farmer named his stones “The Great Stone of Courage” and made a story with his siblings of an army that never showed fear in crop protection. That is artily introducing creativity in farming.
