Encouraging Children In The Garden

Besides blogging here at Play Library, I also blog at a gardening blog called Mother Earth’s Garden. I’m a huge fan of gardening. I always encourage my son to enjoy getting outside and getting his hands dirty.

While he doesn’t always enjoy gardening the way I hope he will (he’s more into the bugs and worms and making dirt roads to drive his trucks down), he does get out there and help me do some planting and once in a while weeding.

I like to see kids outside learning about Mother Nature and getting to know their Earth and the natural world around them. Here are a couple tips to help encourage your child to get out and work in the garden or the yard with you this spring.

• Don’t make it all about work, take some time and enjoy your child’s company. Play some fun games, dig in the dirt with them.
• Let your child have their own little corner of the garden to plant what they want to grow, or make a worm or bug haven, truck road, or mud castle. Let them dig in the dirt and create whatever they want.
• Get them their own kid sized garden tools.
• Let them pick some of the vegetables or flowers you’ll be growing this summer, and help in the planning stages of the garden.

Do you have any tips or tricks you use to encourage your children to get out in the garden with you?

Image via istockphoto.com