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Planning to Plant
When your children are old enough, kid-sized garden tools and a defined plot of their own help teach responsibility and caretaking. Plant some baby zucchini, tomatoes, beans and carrots -- even giant sunflowers. The children will adore seeing their seedlings begin to grow. Third-graders -- those ages 8 and 9 -- are capable of considering the height and size of the plants when drawing a garden on graph paper. They're ready to use garden tools (with supervision) to translate a two-dimensional drawing to a three-dimensional garden.Kids ages 10 and 11 are primed for lots of fun and excitement. If yours are into dinosaurs, separate a small shady area for a dinosaur garden. Plant a variety of ferns (such as Japanese painted, wood, cinnamon and bracken), arrange some "fossils" and toy dinosaurs, and you'll create a haven for prehistoric play and exploration. Watch it spark nifty conversations about when dinosaurs roamed and what they ate. Or use a path, a gate or an arbor to create an entrance to a "secret garden." You might suggest that the kids depart from the traditional scarecrow and create their own fun version of a garden sentry. The older ones might plant a community garden with friends and donate the harvest to a local food bank.
If you live in an apartment or town house with a deck or balcony, the kids can succeed with container gardens. My friend Susan grew broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower in her New York City window boxes. Her first attempt, though not quite ready for prime-time stir-frying, looked great and her kids got a big kick out of it. This summer the balcony will be home to container-friendly herbs -- parsley, marjoram, oregano, chives, thyme, rosemary and basil. The children, who happen to be Harry Potter fans, were thrilled to learn that basil was grown to keep away evil spirits, and that rosemary, placed under the pillow, would ward off bad dreams.
Teach your kids that plants, like people, need a few essential ingredients to grow strong and healthy. The Jumbo Book of Gardening by Karyn Morris (Kids Can Press, ages 9-12; $14.95) cites the four golden rules of gardening: 1) Start with good soil; 2) grow plants that like your garden site; 3) fill your garden with nature's creatures; and 4) create a garden that suits your needs and tastes. Follow these rules, and your gardening chores -- feeding, mulching, watering, weeding and even pest control -- can take just a few hours a week. For a natural and kid-friendly approach to pest control, Morris suggests using pieces of old garden hose to create "snakes" to scare off rabbits and squirrels.
While you're enjoying your harvest, don't be surprised if the kids start asking where all the food goes after you swallow it. The CD-ROM Millie Meter's Nutrition Adventure (Tivola Electronic Publishing, ages 6-8; $19.99) is the perfect prescription for youngsters curious about digestion and nutrition. Kids will enjoy following Millie around on an anatomical adventure through the human digestive tract of "Bulk," the son of a friendly giant.
As you garden together, assure your children that they don't have to worry about making mistakes, since that's the best path to learning. The minute the seed catalogs arrive, get the kids involved with planning. Have some family discussions about why you've decided to plant your garden. Is it to grow food for the dinner table, to share with friends and neighbors, or simply to admire? Get advice from experts. The National Gardening Association offers some terrific tips on its website, kidsgardening.com. Grab your sturdiest garden boots, go out, dig in and have fun.
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