The garden opens the door to a world of learning. Children discover the cycles of nature, how plants grow and where food comes from. It brings them face-to-face with the vast array of critters at work in the soil. It also gives them a sense of accomplishment as they reap the rewards of their labour.
Before heading out to the garden with kids in tow, there are a few thing to keep in mind. First of all, children should be warned not to put anything in their mouths without adult approval. Many common plants have poisonous parts.
Secondly, to hold their interest, keep it fun. Children have shorter attention spans so don’t try to accomplish too much during any single trip to the garden. Keep the emphasis on the joy of discovery; don’t expect them to memorize the names of all the different flowers or the parts of the plant..
Kids love to play act. Let them be detectives by equipping them with an Explorer’s Kit. Fill a knapsack with all the necessary tools:
magnifying glass for observing insects and plants.
notebook for recording observations: plant height, drawings, and descriptions of the garden.
canning jar with a ring lid and piece of nylon screening for observing critters.
ruler or measuring tape.
flashlight for nighttime exploration.
insect guide from the library or book store for identifying bugs.
camera for older children.
Roll over a log or stone and see how many different kinds of critters you can find. Use the magnifying glass and ruler to measure them. Put some in a glass jar for observation. Be sure to release these hardworking critters back into their natural environment when you’re done observing them. (See the article on soil life in this issue for more details on what lives in our soil).
Observe what’s going on outdoors. Look at the different growth habits of plants. Compare seed sizes and colours. Compare the root systems of different weeds such as the dandelion versus grass. For older budding scientists, keep track of plant growth in the garden in a journal using a measuring tape. Look for plants with butterfly eggs or a chrysalis. Tie a ribbon around the plant and then visit daily until they hatch. (See article in this issue for more information on butterflies).
Use all of the senses. Feel the velvety texture of the leaves of rose campion or lamb’s ear or the prickly pincushion flower. Take in the smells by rubbing the leaves of herbs such as lavender, mint or lemon verbena between two fingers and then smelling your hands. Cosmos, zinnias and sunflowers are all cousins. Have the children examine them and find five ways they are similar.
If you’ve got pumpkins growing in the garden, let each child carve their own name into the skin of a young, green pumpkin. As the pumpkin gets bigger, children will be delighted to see their names grow, too.
There’s still time for kids to plant a little vegetable patch of their own this summer. Nothing tastes better than fresh vegetables from your own garden. Letting children cultivate their own plot creates ownership and helps keep their interest from planting through harvest. Let them choose what plants they will grow (with guidance). Green Beans and carrots can be sown every two weeks until the end of July. Plant pole beans around a teepee of bamboo sticks for a special child-size hideout. Cool season crops such as lettuce, broccoli and spinach sown in August will supply fresh greens until freeze-up. Popsicle sticks make great row markers or paint flat rocks with acrylic paints. It’s best to keep the plot small to keep it manageable. Harvest some of the carrots when small for maximum flavour. Let each child decorate their own basket, with paint or ribbon, for harvesting their vegetables.
No room for a traditional vegetable patch? Try planting your garden in an old rubber boot. First drill holes in the bottom for drainage and cover these with nylon screening. Fill the boots to the top with potting soil. Then rake the soil to make a fine seed bed. Sprinkle mini-carrot or leaf lettuce seeds over the surface and press down with a spoon. Water when the soil feels dry to the touch. When you harvest the vegetables, sow more seeds for a continuous crop. Fertilize every few weeks with liquid fertilizer. Other containers such as old tubs or pots also work well.
Help the children make an inuksuk to stand watch over their gardens. The Inuit built these human-like rock guardians as messages to other travelers. They were used to mark places where their was good hunting or fishing or where food had been stored for future use. They were also used as trail markers.
To make your own inuksuk, start by collecting stones of different shapes and sizes. A larger, flat stone can be used to make a stable foundation. Use a series of rocks to build the figure’s legs and torso. A large, flat rock can be used for the chest and arms. Then use a smaller rock topped with a larger round rock to make the neck and head. If the stones seem a bit wobbly, try shifting them slightly for a better fit or stabilize with small, wedge-shaped rocks. Alternatively stones can be held together with glue. For more information, see the book Make Your Own Inuksuk by Mary Wallace (Owl, $8.95).
The opportunities for learning in the garden are endless. For more ideas, see Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy (Workman Publishing 1998). This book is filled with many easy ideas for making gardening both entertaining and educational for children. Lots of fun illustrations make for enjoyable reading.
