Gardens can be a great place to cultivate a meaningful and fun learning experience for children. Gardening can offer children an opportunity to learn the life cycle process, by which plants are grown, as well as responsibility, caretaking, independence, and environmental awareness. Choosing what they will grow and watching the process take place can give children a sense of pride and ownership as well!

Choose a Location

Work with your children on a plan. Whether you decide to use garden beds or maybe just pots-educate them on the basics of gardening; sunlight, proper soil and nutrients, as well as space between seeds.

 

Choose What to Grow
Take a field trip to your local garden center and allow the children to be involved in choosing seeds or mature plants.  Larger seeds like pumpkin, pea and sunflower are great for smaller hands.  Vegetables like; snow peas, lettuce, radishes, and cherry tomatoes grow quickly, which is great for children who tend to have a harder time with patience.

Decorating the Garden
Get creative with your garden project! Make a day out of painting your pots-let them personalize them. Painted stones are great for garden beds and can really add some great color. The family garden can be a very creative and colorful place. Rainbow gardens are a fun theme for children to participate in. Plants that represent the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and indigo) are great teaching tools that are exciting for children to plant.