As we get well into the spring months and the weather continues to change for the better, most of you will spend more time outside. Gardening is just one of the many enjoyable perks of warm weather, and it has practical purposes for many. As people become more consciously aware of the earth’s environment, many choose to buy fruits and vegetables from local farmer’s markets. Sustaining the natural world in local communities is increasingly prioritized.
For those who partake in growing fruits, vegetables, and flowers, gardening can be a welcome, time-consuming activity. However, if you have children then you may find it challenging to come up with ways to keep an eye on them during gardening hours. Why not have them participate? While gardening might sound like work to a kid, there are actually many fun activities children can do in the garden fun.
Garden parties
The term “garden party” often conjures up images of stuffy events with tea, stiff dresses and polite, restrained behavior. For children, a garden fun party can be entirely different—it can be a messy and exciting adventure! First of all, you can get your child to help you prep the garden for the party itself. If the work is “for the party,” then your kids may be more open to making the effort.
Red rover, leap-frog and other classic games are always a fun treat outdoors. However, a garden presents also an opportunity for even more creative games. For example, a scavenger hunt is a great way to keep kids occupied for hours while educating them about different types of squash. For example, you can come up with fun clues like “win the game if you can find the zucchini patch the fastest!”
Harvest time makes little chefs
Show your kids (or young relatives) the point of growing plants. When children see that the same tomato plant that they watered outside provided them with the tomatoes in their spaghetti, they become excited about what they eat. Harvesting herbs is one of the easiest ways to get children instantly excited about the garden. For example, mint or basil leaves can be plucked right from the garden fun and ingested after a quick rise with the hose. Children can smell and taste what grows in the garden, and a basil garnish on top of that same spaghetti dish may evoke a much happier reaction when children participate in growing the green food.
Pizza tends to be a big hit among kids, but vegetables are usually not. A fun way to get kids to eat their veggies is to have them choose their toppings for garden pizzas. When kids choose their own toppings from the garden, eating vegetables becomes much more interesting. If you do decide to have a garden party, then this is another fun way to bring the new knowledge of the garden to mealtime. Some cooks even use the outdoor grill to make pizza, allowing them to keep an eye on the kids and host the party outdoors at the same time.
Art from the garden
There are countless activities and projects that utilize items from the garden fun. For example, kids can use veggies from the garden to stamp paint onto paper as vegetable art. Different shapes can be used to create fun, colorful paintings.
One of the easiest projects for kids is the creation of a mosaic. Kids can gather seeds, flowers, and even small stones to create this mosaic, and they can focus on using items from their own favorite parts of the garden fun. Artistic floral arrangements are another way to encourage kids to get involved in gardening. Show your kids that gardening is not just about weeding and watering. Gardening is about what you can do when things grow!
