Saturday, October 28, 2017

The Top 5 Benefits of Gardening With Kids

Please enjoy this guest post today while I'm moving to our dream house in the country! And stay tuned for our adventures in the country starting a garden from scratch!

We all know that being outside brings plenty of health benefits to us all, and we know that gardening is seen as being therapeutic. Both of these are good for adults, yet gardening has benefits for kids to help them develop as well as become healthier.

You do not have to be a green-fingered gardening genius; you can be a complete novice. Being in the garden with your kids can benefit the both of you.

Engaging the Senses
We all know how curious kids are, they ask questions and run around looking and playing with things. When gardening kids can touch and feel the dirt as they plant seeds, they can see the many different colors of the flowers and the vegetables. Kids can hear sounds as they harvest the ripe vegetables. They also smell the various aromas of the vegetables and herbs that surround them.
All their senses will be used, and they go on to learn all the different concepts that go along with gardening. As well as these senses they can enhance their fine motor skills as they help. From scooping earth and placing it pots with the seeds, to watering the pots. It all helps them develop motor skills which will help them in other areas when they are older.

Different Concepts
Gardening is one of the best ways to introduce the concept of science to kids if nothing else their curiosity will be put to the test. Gardening is not a one trick pony when it comes to the scientific concepts on offer. It covers a full range of chemistry, biology, and botany.

From that first seed they plant, kids will be curious about what happens to the seeds. They will eagerly monitor the progress of the plant as the seed germinates and grows larger. This is an excellent way for them to learn necessary steps of a scientific process without them realizing it.

When kids become older, they quickly determine the effects of water on sunlight and how it affects all the seeds they have planted. Your kids will be exposed to a full science class without ever leaving the garden.

Responsibility and the Environment
When you are outside gardening with your kids, they start to understand how important it is to take care of the environment. Once they want their vegetables to become big and strong, it opens the door for a long conversation how and why pollution, recycling, and pesticides affect us all.

Once your kids have filled their pots and planted their seeds, they now know they will have to tend to them on a regular basis. As they check and water their plants as necessary, they start to become more responsible for their actions.

To help them on their way, you can create a simple checklist for them to make sure they do as they should on a regular basis.

Patience, Planning, and Organization
Regular gardeners know about planning and organizing a garden, and they also know it can be a time-consuming process with a little artistic license thrown in. Understanding vegetable growing times, from planting seeds, to harvest time. It all helps kids to become involved with their planning and problem-solving skills.

Not only will they be able to enhance their organizational strategies from an earlier age. It will also teach them the importance of patience. We all know that young kids seek instant gratification and can get bored very quickly. Once they see something happening with their vegetables, they will learn to become more patient. As they become excited watching their vegetables grow, kids will see not everything has to be right there and then.

Healthy Eating
This is the one thing that all parents would be happy with when kids help with their vegetable garden plants. All parents know how important it is for kids to eat healthily, yet getting them to do this is somewhat more difficult. The good news is that kids are more likely to eat something they have grown. They no longer see cabbage and broccoli as something you are forcing them to eat. Now they have a sense of pride and achievement for everything they have grown or helped to produce.

Kids will have at last helped to create something, and they will understand how important healthy eating is for their growth. All you have to do is be prepared for the dinner table, and your kids say “can you pass the carrots please, Mom.”

BIO: Tim Graham is the where he writes about his passions in life getting outdoors, gardening, yard care and his family.


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...