I was checking out our pantry I noticed some of our potatoes were starting to sprout. I took this as a great opportunity to have a little activity with the my daughters. We started by taking a look at the sprouts and had a little discussion about how potatoes grow underground and this one potato will grow into many more potatoes. We then cut an egg carton in half and set the sprouting potatoes by the window to sprout (chitting) a little more and printed out some activity pages from the Washington State Potato Commission.
After a few days of basking in the sun we planted our potatoes in our garden and hopefully in a couple weeks we will see some plants coming out of the ground.
When the kids are in the garden, safety is of the utmost priority. While gardening isn't like extreme sports, there can be dangers in the kid's garden as with many things. One concern many parents and teachers may face is gardening with harsh chemicals, fertilizers and other such hazards. Solve this problem by using organic gardening. . ..
In the past we have had a harvest party in early September. This year, we had it much early. We had it nearly all summer long! The harvest this year in all the gardens including the kid's gardens was tremendous. Even though it is now fading quickly, it was worth the efforts we put forth. . . .
That's exactly what this young man is doing. A victim of Hurricane Katrina, Jack McShane wanted to help bring back his hometown. Unfortunately, everyone said he was just too young to get involved. Well Jack decided he wasn't and now he not only participates in the clean up of a local park but has started mow-rons.org to support his mowing group. USA Today recently featured Jack - it is an inspiring story for all ages.
Every kid gardener has their favorites. My yongest daughter is in love with watermelons. She has always loved eating them but loves just how big they can get. I think she envisions a watermelon field one day that we can just pick and harvest a ton of watermelons. My oldest daughter loves flowers. She is a very girly type girl and flowers are her thing. She does like cucumbers and has started to like peppers and tomatoes more. She is growing up into a very rounded young woman. . . .
I don't have children yet but I am lucky enough to live next door to some awesome little kids, who were my happy models for the photos in this article. They are my practice/surrogate children, and I am slowly indoctrinating them into the Cult of Gardening. It seems to be working, as they love "working" in the garden. This, I guess, qualified me enough to write the following article, which was recently published in Urbanbaby Magazine. Enjoy. . . .
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Jun 27, 2007, 9:37PM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening, children on 2007-06-29, 06:09:52
Welcome to the Summer Program! So much has happened in our first week enjoying San Francisco's beautiful Garden for the Environment, together with 16 youth from middle school and 5 youth staff from high school. Some major highlights for me are watching the youth staff teach the younger youth to garden, enjoy nature, and try crazy new foods ("You picked that from a tree!?!") My favorite quote from the week was, "This is the first time I've eaten a healthy breakfast AND a healthy lunch!" We've got these youngsters eating granola for breakfast and salad for lunch, every day for two weeks. . .
Looking for something to do with the kids this summer? Well, if you can figure out a way to make it fun, working in the yard can be "wholesome entertainment...
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Jun 26, 2007, 4:04AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening, children on 2007-06-28, 06:08:55
If you have any questions about kid's gardening, visit my Little Gardener question section at Garden and Hearth. There are a couple questions and answers already there. While you are there, you can peruse the rest of the site and questions that others have on their boards. . . .
No, I don't mean sticking to some routine that gets the best of you. I mean, developing a gardening schedule for your kids. This helps with organizing when to start gardening, when to start soil preparation and when gardening time is about to end so the harvest can take place.
Our garden has started. Most beds are built. We have the early flowers out, the pansies and violas. These could live through frosts. One winter, they stayed green all winter long because it was mild all winter long. . . .
A question came to me by a reader of Little Gardeners. The reader is located in central Ohio. The reader asked about gardening with a young child (first grade). I thought I might post a few examples of what I might do (or what I have done) with a first grader or younger gardener. . . .
Does your child know how flowers grow? Kids gardening is a natural combination. Read the story and plant these fun, kid friendly flowers together this summer.
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to children gardens
on Mar 16, 2007, 4:00AM
Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardens, children on 2007-03-17, 22:03:34
It’s almost spring for us here in the United States. In some places south the earliest crops might be even sown in the next couple of weeks. Whether you are new or an old hand at gardening, you might find it difficult to plan a kid’s garden. There are as many different types of kids as there are garden plants. How do you plan a toddler’s garden? With the toddler in mind of course. There are a few tips that can help you begin planning the toddler’s garden. . . .
This is an exciting time for me because I have a new guy coming into my life and I can't wait to meet him. He's currently very close to my daughter and she tells me he's gentle and very well-behaved.
This wonderful little guy is my grandson and he is due to be born at the end of April. . . .
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Feb 9, 2007, 12:46PM
I didn't like gardening much as a child. My mother didn't grow what I now consider the really exciting things: flowers and vegetables. She basically just maintained her landscaping very meticulously. So to work in her garden as a child meant spending an hour or two with one's head poked into a cave of yews and rhododendrons, pulling out dandelions. Not terribly appealing, and if I agreed to do it more than three times in my whole childhood, that was a lot. . .
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Nov 16, 2006, 9:49AM
You may have noticed that while I mention in this blog that I have children, I don't talk all that much about my children being in my garden. That would be because I have a pretty strict rule in my garden which says "This part is grass. This part is my garden. The only reason this grass is here is so that you have somewhere to play, so stay out of my garden." I know, it doesn't fit real well into
...
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Nov 5, 2006, 8:23PM
The baby is wonderful and we're exhausted! I wish we lived close enough to go and help out a few times a week until life returns to normal for them, but that's just not to be! The Air Show was huge, as usual. My husband was honored with a Leadership Award for flying Young Eagles. I was very proud! It was also fun seeing Harrison Ford up close!!! The only gardening I got to do while gone was to help my son's little 4 year old step-daughter plant some ground cover (Stonecrop). She helped plant, pack in the soil, recover with mulch, and then WATER this little plant! Her job this week (or until it is established) is to water it at least once a day. Virginia is pretty hot this time of year so that's pretty critical. She's excited about doing that. I'll have to check with her mom to be sure she's fulfilling her end of the bargain. Teaching kids to garden is important. Someday, much to your amazement they will tell their friends how you were the one who got them started with gardening. What a wonderful thing! It is a lifetime pleasure. Help them launch that opportunity!
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Aug 10, 2006, 4:41PM
A passion was born in Dylan Dukes when, at the age of 3, he was shown a
watermelon seed and told it would turn into a watermelon. So he grew a
few and when that wasn't enough, his smart mom started a
real veggie garden with him at the Youth Garden of the National Arboretum in the heart of D.C. Now 6 and nuts about gardening, Dylan may be the
gardening world's youngest blogger; he's already
documenting his garden and will soon be uploading his photos.
Dylan, send us the link. . . .
Gotta start 'em young! -OR
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Aug 4, 2006, 11:48AM
The kid's garden is the perfect spot to introduce to kids, especially the youngest ones, new vegetables and food. It can be a spot for food. Teach your kids about food production and gardening for food. Use this list as a starter. . .
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Aug 3, 2006, 5:51AM
How this particular Gen-Xer loathes those sad articles in nursery and horticultural industry magazines about selling to that tricky new breed of customer, Gen X and Y. Here are some gems from one such recent article (written, of course, by...
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to gardening children
on Jul 31, 2006, 9:25AM
Posted by Amy Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardening, children on 2006-07-31, 23:02:36
Do your kids like pizza? If so, why not combine that favorite with the garden and make a kid's pizza garden.
If you want your kids to try new things on their pizza, this might be a good way to get them started. Something about growing their own crops makes some kids want to eat better.
reBlogged
to gardening children
on Jun 21, 2006, 10:12AM
Well right now it's a few pumpkin plants (and in need of some weeding) but it will eventually grow into a pumpkin patch.
Last year when my son was two we planted a pumpkin patch together. All the child development books say that Gardening With Children is a great learning activity and something that parents and children can enjoy together. So we choose some Big Max pumpkin seeds because they're pretty big and easy for his little fingers to handle. . . .
reBlogged
to pumpkins gardening children
on Jun 16, 2006, 9:56AM
Now that I'm the editor of the D.C. Master Gardener News, I actually get paid to visit and report on cool projects like the following, and I'm loving it.
The Children's Studio School in downtown D.C. was built in the old-fashioned style of schools-as-prisons, so it's no easy task to humanize, to enliven, to make kid-friendly. And as
recently as January of this year its side "yard" was covered
with asphalt and rubber and was a functional - not to mention aesthetic - wasteland. . . .
reBlogged
to gardens children
on Jun 15, 2006, 6:39AM
Posted by Susan Reblogged by Old Roses to Gardens, children on 2006-06-15, 15:56:51
via The Cheap Vegetable Gardener on 1969-12-31, 19:00:00
