Rainbow Blog

Growing A Garden With Your Child

posted by: Kia

Planting a garden can be a relaxing activity that will not only provide hours of enjoyment, but it will also provide tasty food for you and your family to enjoy. From planting tomatoes, to planting green peppers and cucumbers, your garden can provide your family with the freshest foods possible. Since gardening is such a fun experience, why not include your child in your gardening plans? Your child will find the same type of pleasure from gardening that you do, plus it will create a great bonding situations in which you can spend plenty of valuable time with your special little one. If you want to include your child in your gardening endeavors, here are some ways to make it fun to garden with your kid.

1. Respect Her Input
Although you may already have idea about what you want to plant in your garden, involve your child in the gardening planning process by asking her what types of vegetables she would like to grow. Whey you offer your child the choice to plant the vegetable of her choice, you truly be making her feel as if she is an important part of the gardening project.

2. Buy Supplies Together
All gardens require certain supplies that are conductive to the health of your garden. From mulch and seeds, tools and equipment, there can be a variety of supplies needed to create the perfect garden. When you go shopping for gardening supplies, make sure to include your child. Let her help pick out items you may need for your garden. This will empower her and make her feel important to the gardening process.

3. Share The Responsibilities
When it’s time to dig the holes needed to stick the seed in, why not share the job? Let her put some seeds in a specific area while you work on another area. Or, once the seeds are planted, why not let her water the seeds? This will help her think that she is contributing majorly to the yummy food that will one day grow from the garden.

4. Pick Vegetables Together
Once the garden is in full bloom and there are vegetables ripe enough to be picked, turn it into a fun activity with your child. Between the two of you, you can explore and find the ripest vegetables in the bunch and sharing this responsibility will show give your child pride over the fact that she contributed to the growth of this now healthy food.

5. Cook A Meal
Once you and your child have picked vegetables from your garden, why not join forces to make a tasty meal using these fresh vegetables? Even if it’s just a simple salad, have your child help cook the meal. Cooking with your child will create a bonding experience on its own, but it’s even more special because the two of you have grown these foods together.

If you are looking for a great warm weather activity to share with your child, you should try growing a garden with her. Not only will you be growing tasty, healthy vegetables to enjoy once they have grown, but you will also be providing your child with a fun activity to participate in with you that will provide lasting memories for years to come.

Tonya Osborn writes about parenting, finance & finding a home equity mortgage.