To enable our children to learn quickly it is important to get them involved with educational activities. Gardening is one educational activity that your children will love whilst they are developing their knowledge. Children as young as four years old can help out in the garden; planting their own flowers or vegetables and watching them grow will excite them.
Here is how you can get gardening with the children;
Choosing plants
Take the children to a garden centre and show them all of the different plants that would be suitable for them to plant in your garden. Planting from seed can be difficult so choose saplings that will be easy to grow and maintain. Once back home show the children how to prepare the ground and then transfer the sapling from the pot to the soil. Start by doing one for yourself and get them to watch, and then leave them to do another with you watching. This will get them thinking, allowing them to learn at the same time.
Show them how to care for the sapling day by day.
Appeal to their senses
A great way to capture the children’s imagination is to create a sensory garden full of different sights, smells, textures, sounds and tastes.
Sight: Children love bright colours so plant eye catching flowers such as sunflowers or Chameleon Plants.
Sounds: The love-in-a-mist plant is bright blue and forms puffy seed heads that rattle when shaken.
Touch: The texture of leaves and stems vary between plants. Jerusalem sage plant has leaves that are soft to touch and form bright yellow flowers.
Smell: Lavender and Chocolate cosmos both produce wonderful aromas that your children are bound to love.
Taste: Herbs such as spearmint, rosemary and chives all taste good. Pick some fresh from the garden and after washing get the children to taste it. Then add it to dishes so that it is visible so they can taste how the herbs work with other foods.
Vegetables
Many children say that they dislike vegetables but getting them to grow their own will not only allow them to understand where vegetables come from but will also allow them to distinguish between different vegetables.
Watercress and runner beans are great vegetables for beginners because they are easy to maintain and will grow in just a few short weeks.
It is important to remember that gardening can be dangerous – keep your children protected by ensuring that they wear protective clothing such as a gardening apron and gloves. Buy gardening tools that are especially for children such as a small watering can that they can lift easily and a small hand tool set that doesn’t have sharp edges.
For more gardening tips, products and advise visit http://www.gardenhealth.com/