Gardening as Life Lessons for Kids

Gardening can be a wonderful leaning activity for kids. Handling their own part of the garden can give them a great feeling of accomplishment as they see their plants grow and change. In gardens, where adults share growth experiences and victories with children, there are more things blossoming than just flowers and trees. Deeper camaraderie and relationships are being formed. Gardening can also be a great training foundation for teaching practical life lessons as well as growing plants. The essentials of living life can be taught to kids with the help of gardening - water, sunlight, air and soil.

Seeing a seed grow into a tree is just as awesome as creation to birth and then growth of a child. Growing plants from seeds is very rewarding. Over time, kids learn to really appreciate their plants and value the life in them. Gardening could help mirror how life should be treated -- with tender loving care.

By simply weeding the garden, the kids may learn how bad associations (friends and situations) can and should be avoided to live life more smoothly. Kids begin to see the need to purposefully let go negative influences to allow in those that can be more favorable. Also, let kids become knowledgeable of their environment's needs. One way to jumpstart that environmental education can be through gardening. Its hitting two birds with one stone -- teach them to respect life while you become closer with them.

Help your kids to visualize the layout and allow them to help decide which type of garden to plant. Some kids like flowers and some would rather grow something more edible. This brings in the planning and preparation lessons that can lead to more orderly results in life. Participation in this decision making and creativity processes caring lifelong foundations.

Just as life and living can have extremes and surprises, children get to notice like extremes such as huge sunflowers and tiny cherry tomatoes. Most kids really love to involvement of getting their hands dirty in an outdoor garden. They also like to feel accomplishment in eating things fresh from a garden they have grown and cultivated. Just let them pick things they know in colors they won't necessarily anticipate like as rainbow chard, purple carrots, or striped beets.

As a related lesson, you can use companion planting such that the combinations of plants each have a benefit to help the other plant survive. Kids will usually just love the idea of planting herbs and flowers among their vegetables. Just by keeping ideas like these in mind, you'll not only instill a love of gardening in your kids, but a love of life as well.