Gardening with the Kids!

Father and son harvesting lettuce.

Even though most people who know our family know that we have a productive and extensive garden, they are often surprised at how many different fruits, vegetables and herbs my children recognize and enjoy eating. Honestly, I don't think they can help it. They've all been in the garden since they were babies and they take pride in helping plant, water, weed and harvest. They're pretty much gardeners in training. Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons to get your kids gardening with you.

1.       Gardening offers a great opportunity for you and your children to get outside for some fresh air and physical activity.
2.       Gardening with your children allows you time to talk and share with each other without many of the most common electronic distractions.
3.       Children can learn responsibility by taking care of something and watching how it thrives under their care.  They could learn the same thing by having a pet but a plant won’t leave stinky stains on your carpet or destroy your favorite pair of shoes.
4.       Helps them to respect and appreciate nature.
5.       Little fingers are great at pulling weeds. Just make sure they know the difference between weeds and plants that you want to keep.
6.       They’ll usually be very excited about eating what they helped grow.

For more about gardening with your children click here.

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