What do you get when you combine curious minds that are constantly asking questions as they discover the world around them, little hands that are always ready to help with whatever tasks they can, and an abundance of time that summer offers when school is out of session?
You have the ideal combination for introducing your children to how a garden grows!
In a world where everything you need can be purchased in a store or online, it’s crucial that kids still learn where the things they eat come from. Produce doesn’t just magically appear in the grocery store—Someone has to grow it, first!
Whether you build a raised garden bed in your backyard or plant a pot on your front porch and whether you cultivate beautiful blooms or try your hand at growing your own produce is up to you. The important part is to have your kids hands helping every step along the way so they understand the process.
Introduce your children to how things grow this summer with these easy ideas:
Plant Your Own Garden
Have a big backyard with room for a small garden plot? Get growing! Take your kids with you to your local garden center and select the seeds or seedlings that you’d like to include in your plot. Teach them about how to correctly space apart everything so the plants have room to grow, and let them help carry the hose out to water once planted. Give them the job of checking the weather each day to determine if it’s going to rain or if they need to water their garden. Then watch the magic unfold as the plants begin to grow, flower, and produce whatever fruits and vegetables you have decided to try your hand at growing. There’s nothing more exciting than finding that first little tomato forming from a yellow bloom except picking and tasting your first homegrown produce!
Fill a Flower Pot
If you don’t have enough room for a garden to grow vegetables, that’s ok! You can start small with planting a flower pot with plants of your choosing. Let your child pick out the ones they love the most and teach them about selecting ones that are good for the sun versus ones that grow best in the shade so you have ones well suited for well your flower pot will be. Get them involved by helping fill the pot with soil, plant the plants, and water them. It can be their responsibility to fill up a watering can and keep the plants hydrated and happy during the warm summer months. Older kids can help with cutting stems and creating their own flower arrangements to enjoy inside your house, too.
Visit a Local Farm
If you don’t possess a green thumb or you travel too much in the summer months visiting friends and family to be able to care for a garden of your own, there’s still opportunity to cultivate a passion for growing with your children. Check in and around your town: What farms are available to visit? Is there a strawberry or blueberry patch where you can pick your own berries? What about a peach orchard where you can pluck your own from the branches? There’s plenty of learning to be had as many farmers are happy to talk with you and your children about what they grow and how they grow it. They’d be delighted to introduce your kids to what they do!
How do you plan to introduce your kids to gardening and farming this summer? We’d love to know—Tag us in your photos and stories on social media so we can see future gardeners and farmers in the making!
