Having Fun with Kids While Growing a Garden

With very few exceptions to the rule, kids like to play in dirt and water. What better way to allow them to do this than to grow a garden with them? This not only enables a child to "play" in the dirt as you plant your garden, it also allows them to "play" in the water each time the plants need a drink.

This year, for the first time since all of my children have been old enough to understand that vegetables can be grown at home, we decided to plant a small garden. It all started with my son bringing home a cabbage plant from school. He was so very proud of the fact that he grew it from a seed at school; my other kids became very interested and wanted to grow things too.

We went to the store and looked around. None of the kids really wanted to buy plants that were already started, so we picked out some seeds. Of course, we also had to have a mini-greenhouse for their seeds to begin growing better, so we picked out one of those too. We took our garden items home and began our garden that very day.

Now, it takes a few weeks for plant seeds to germinate, let alone see enough growth for them to feel proud. The first week or two, they began to lose interest because the seeds weren't growing as they expected. I told them to be patient and just keep taking care of them. A few weeks later, their little faces beamed when they saw how well their seeds were growing. The initial excitement came back, and they were ready to go outside to prepare their little garden.

We waited and waited until the last frost of the year was over. We went outside and tilled the area with our bare hands. The kids absolutely loved this because they were getting filthy and I wasn't telling them to stop digging! They broke up clumps of dirt and dug holes; they took great care in preparing the ground for their precious plants.

When the time was right, I helped them transplant their vegetable plants. We carefully placed the plants into the designated holes and carefully made sure the roots were in the ground and covered well. Then, to their surprise, they got to play in the water while they happily, and carefully, watered their little plants.

After the planting was done, day by day, they slowly lost interest in their little garden. I would remind them to water the plants, and they would forget. I would wait until they went to bed and quietly go out to water them myself; the whole time knowing that once the plants got bigger, the interest would return.

The wide-eyed interest did return. The first time the kids went to look at their plants and saw that not only had they grown, but they were also beginning to produce vegetables, they became very excited. Now, they were ready to really help care for their plants. Now, they wanted to play in the dirt and water again. They were ready to pull weeds, pick off any dead or bug eaten leaves; they were ready to make sure their plants had plenty of water.

Our little garden still has a way to go before it is done producing for the season, and my children are still anxiously awaiting to pick the very first vegetable, but, the whole project has been fun for all of us. My kids have found that there is great pride in growing things a garden and tending it. They have found that some work can be fun after all. Most importantly, we have all found that working together to care for something not only helps it to grow, it also brings us closer together.