From Seed to Salad Training from Successful Solutions Training
This week I, (Miss Ashley) took a training on gardening and why it is important to incorporate it in the classroom or at home. I am excited to share this with you because this training had some great resources and insight on gardening with young children.
Why start a garden?
Having a garden and growing plants with children can teach a variety of important things. If you choose to grow fruits and vegetables it can open up the conversation for healthy eating and sustainable living. Gardening is cost effective and provides a sensory experience as well as a family activity. It is also a life-long skill that can be passed down to generations!
What can a garden teach children?
Children have a natural curiosity of how the world around them works. Gardening allows them to explore and learn about things that are likely, already very interesting to them! It can stimulate their imagination, encourage them to use creative problem-solving skills, and allows for quality time outdoors.
There are many life skills that are practiced when planting a garden. Children have to practice being patient as they wait for their plants to sprout and grow, it exposes them to cause and effect (what happens when plants get watered?), teaches them responsibility, and it helps their self-esteem as they become increasingly proud of their garden. It also can help children learn respect and care for the environment.
Now more than ever, teaching children habits for healthy living is important. In the last 30 years childhood obesity has more than doubled. As children learn where fruits and veggies come from, they may be more interested in trying new ones.
And lastly, gardening can help teach children teamwork and working together. If the class or the family works together at creating the garden this allows for the development of social skills as kids learn to work as a team. This helps to build community as well, especially if there is a harvest party at the end of the season to celebrate everyone’s hard work.
Things to consider when starting your own garden
Space Will this be a windowsill garden or outside in the yard?
Equipment Child size equipment is important as it will help the child be an active participant. A small rake, child size gloves, and small shovel are great!
What to plant Allow kids to have a say in this! This can help them get more excited and more invested in the process. This will also encourage a sense of responsibility to the garden.
Some plants die This may be disappointing for children and it is also ok. This presents a learning opportunity and if possible, try and grow the same plant with new circumstances to practice the scientific method. Discuss what may have gone wrong and give it another try.
Use plants that grow quickly Kids may lose interest if a plant takes too long to sprout!
Some great examples of plants to grow are radishes, sunflowers, and lettuce. Be sure to do a little research and see what plants grow best in what season!
Below are two resources for gardening with kids. One is a great booklist about gardening that will continue to spark your child’s or your student’s curiosity. The other is information about getting that garden started.
https://kidsgrowingstrong.org/
https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/best-gardening-books-for-kids
Good luck and happy gardening!
“Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. It is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace that is right for each individual child. Earlier is not better.” Magda Gerber
