We are in the last month before Summertime is officially here! Children look forward to their holidays and Moms and Dads look forward to some help with gardening chores.
There’s really no reason why little ones (6-8 years old) cannot help with some of the gardening chores. What they need is someone to teach them what needs to be done! Mom and Dad can use this time to teach their children some lessons that they will take on into their adult life too. I learned how to help in the garden when I was 6 and my father taught me all he knew about growing the best tasting tomatoes and more. It was fun to help and the rewards were so worth the time spent in the garden.
Now I am trying to teach my grandchildren some of those lessons as well. There is nothing better than teaching them the same things that you were taught. It’s almost like a favorite family recipe that gets handed down generation to generation.
Where do you start?
That’s a great question and it will depend on how much time you have spent with them in the garden already. Is this a new hobby that you are sharing or have they already been learning how to grow plants?
I remember my children bringing home the seedlings that they had planted as part of their science classes. I always knew there would be a spot for another plant in my garden and made sure that my children had a space that they could call their own too! Gardeners can never be started too early. And with that in mind I am searching for things that will help make little gardeners enjoy their outdoor space, so that they can grow up to be great big gardeners in time.
Gardening Chores don’t have to be boring! They can and should be fun too!
All gardeners need their own set of tools. These are some really good starter kits for kids ages 6 and up. They look and feel like the real thing and so they are. There will be a good amount of work done with these tools in the hands of a young and willing helper. I love adding just a touch of fun to the gardening chores and who doesn’t like garden gloves with Dora the Explorer on them. After all that’s what the kids will be doing, exploring the garden and making it their own. There are many more gardening gloves available, I just happened to like these ones.
Weeding is a Gardening Chore that keeps you going and going!
Now it’s a great idea to have some reference books available for the children to learn from. Identifying weeds can be difficult if you have never seen them up close and personal. So be prepared with a great reference book that will show kids what is a weed and what is not! You don’t want your new helpers digging up all the flowers you just planted!
With a book like this, they can check and see if it’s a weed before they pull it out! My bet is that it would be a great reference book for all gardeners regardless of their age.
Teaching kids what it takes to make a garden flourish is a great skill to have. It is also about what the plants need to grow strong and healthy. So you will teach them about caring for the ground they are growing in. You will also teach about giving the plants the right amount of light and of course watering.
Watering Cans to the Rescue
This post was prompted by my search for some really cute and useful watering cans! I think that kids really like to learn about gardening ( I know my grandchildren do). Working in the garden needs to be fun too! Watering cans are a great way to introduce them to the garden. Having some really cute watering cans handy will make them want to help you with that gardening chore!
Bright and colorful watering cans will have the children scrambling to be the first to fill and water the plants that need it the most. Under your direction, a drink for the plants is easy to achieve, just provide these tools in the children’s gardening gear!
Great Ideas for Teaching Children about Gardens
When planning to get the children involved with the garden it’s always a great idea to give them some inspiration! Fairy gardens or a wildlife garden are great ways to increase the actual participation of the children. Let them design and execute their own little garden space. I know that they will take an interest in making their space the prettiest and most colorful. They will make it so that it appeals to their own personal senses. That is the way to get them started. A summer in the garden is time well used and there are so many things that you can teach your children too. Watching birds and butterflies, seeing what kind of critters are in the garden and watching them to see what they are doing is all part of the fun. The time spent there with you will remain with them all through their lives. Nothing is more important than making great memories with our children and teaching them too!
When I was a child, I remember visiting our grandparents and our grandpa “letting” us pick the bugs off the potato plants and stomp on them. We thought it was great fun. I didn’t like shucking corn or snapping the ends and pulling the strings from green beans, but they sure tasted good.