Diane Albanese’s Musings

Gardening for Children

Going green and being environmentally savvy is so popular today that it is only natural (forgive the pun!) that children be involved. Great learning can come from simple practices. Doing something with the hands stimulates the best learning because the mind remembers actual kinesthetic experiences best.

So with Mother’s Day and great gardening weather, it’s time to get the children involved in a garden. This can be as simple as some potted plants or as elaborate as a vegetable garden complete with winding watermelon vines and deeply planted carrots. Many children do not understand where food comes from, but a family garden in which the children have a vote in what gets planted as well as when things are harvested can be a huge step in the right direction.

My favorite type of garden was actually a gift from my son. He asked what I would like for Mother’s Day one year and I requested that he plant an herb garden. So, it became his tradition to till the soil and plant a large variety of rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme and my favorite, basil. We enjoyed the fruits of his labor all summer and well into fall. Bouquets of herbs always sat on my window sill, ready to enhance any salad or soup.

At kidsgardening.com, they suggest that gardening motivates students to explore the outdoors and to develop a connection with the natural world. Gardens are living laboratories, making them ideal, hands-on tools for teaching children to respect the environment. Gardens are small plots of land that help to engage students, fostering skills in and enthusiasm for observation, discovery, and experimentation. Where else can you roll lessons together that teach health, science and nutrition?

If an herb garden is not your cup of tea, author Charlie Nardozzi recommends the following plants to get children hooked on gardening. The following is an excerpt from his article in Kidsgardening.org.

1. Sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica)—This tropical groundcover is a kid favorite. Also known as the “tickle-me” plant, it has sensitive green, fernlike leaves and produces small “balls” of pink flowers in mid-summer. The plant’s big kid draw is its leaves: when touched gently, they automatically fold closed, then eventually reopen. Often grown as an annual, the plant thrives in full sun on dry soil and is easy to start indoors from seed.
2. Lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantine)—This perennial flower is widely adapted and hardy in USDA zones 4 to 10. It grows best in full to part sun. In early summer, the low-growing plant produces one-foot-tall spikes covered with small pink flowers. But its foliage is the main draw for kids. The leaves are covered with a soft, white hairy growth that, when stroked, feels like a lamb’s ear. Don’t be surprised if your kids pick leaves and rub it against their cheek. It’s that soft!
3. Ground cherry (Physalis pruinosa)—This easy-to-grow vegetable is in the tomato family, but has fruits that look like small Chinese lanterns. Like tomatoes, the low–growing (1- to 2-foot-tall), sprawling plants love the heat. In summer the plant produces an abundance of papery thin lanterns. Once the lanterns turn yellow, kids can pick them, tear open the covering, and discover the 1- to 2-inch-diameter edible golden fruits inside.
4. Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)—Kids will be amazed to find this common vegetable growing in your garden. Peanuts need at least 120 days of frost-free growing and hot summer temperatures. They grow best in full sun on sandy-loam soil. The 1- to 2-foot-tall and -wide legume looks a lot like a clover plant. However, it has yellow flowers that produce pegs (stem-like growth) after the flowers pass. The pegs grow into the ground around the peanut plant and a peanut shell forms at the end of each peg.
5. Chocolate Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)—Mint plants are fun and easy to grow in the garden. They come in a range of flavors, including ginger, lemon, orange, and apple.

~ by Diane Albanese on April 30, 2009.