Posts Tagged ‘Gardening’

Gardening with Young Children

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

Teaching your child how to garden is a fun, hands-on learning experience that encourages patience, imagination and environmental awareness.  The best part about learning to garden is that it’s something your family can enjoy together, indoors or out!

Before you begin, talk with your child about the whole gardening process to peak their interest and help them become excited about the experience.  You could also pick up a children’s book about gardening or visit a children’s gardening Web site.

When you’re ready to start, gather a few supplies and child-appropriate tools—soil, seed cups, watering cans, etc.  Take a trip to the garden center together to pick out your supplies and seeds or seedlings for planting.  Some great plants for children to start their gardening experience with include sunflowers, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and strawberries. Read seed packets and plant tags—anything with easy care and a short growing season are perfect for little ones to plant! Be sure to acknowledge that some non-edible plants can be poisonous.  Check the National Capital Poison Center Web site for a list of some poisonous plants and always supervise your child while gardening.

Now that it’s time to plant, choose your location. If you have a large garden, section off an area or, if you don’t, use an old sandbox filled with soil as your child’s own special garden. Encourage your child to care for their plants throughout the entire process—from seed, to seedling, to mature plant, to harvest. How exciting it will be when the whole family is enjoying the fruits and vegetables they raised all on their own!

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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

A great way to start the gardening experience is to help children see what happens when a seed is given the proper amount of light and water. Using beans and a few simple supplies, they can watch as the beans sprout roots and grow, grow, grow!

Supplies needed:

Bean seeds (any type will work)

Paper towels

Clear container (jar, cup or plastic bag)

Spray bottle filled with water

1.      Fold a paper towel and place inside the clear container.

2.      Moisten the paper towel until just damp with water.

3.      Place a few beans on the paper towel and mist lightly with water.

4.      Place the container in a sunny location.

5.      Mist lightly with water each day and watch the roots grow!

As an added activity, have your little one keep a “seed sprout journal” in which they draw pictures of their sprout as it grows. On top of experiencing science and nature, they’ll also enhance their creative and fine motor skills as they draw!

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Reducing Your Carbon Footprint

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Eco-friendly Ways Your Family Can Sustain the Environment

Wondering how your family can make a difference and help the environment? There are simple ways to protect the planet without spending a lot of time or money. Help your children develop “green” habits now, they’ll endure over time.

Park the Car

Reduce the number of times you run errands in your car. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, between 1990 and 2001, the number of miles driven to shop increased by 40 percent – this increase is three times as fast as any other category of driving. Consolidate trips or, instead of traveling by car, walk or ride a bike to the store. Using a reusable bag will increase the impact of your efforts!

Veg Out

Growing a garden is a great way to make an environmental difference. If you are limited for space try container gardening or participate in a community garden. Even toddlers can help plant, tend and harvest. Recycling compostable garbage including potato peels and eggshells in a compost bin is an additional way to enrich your garden and respect the planet.

Save Energy at Home

You can save water immediately by taking faster showers, limiting your bath water or installing a faucet aerator in your kitchen and bathroom. Over time, replace current water fixtures and toilets with low-flow options. Shutting off the flow while you are brushing your teeth also helps save water.

When you switch from standard incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescents, you use 75% less energy. Teach your children to always turn off the light and appliances when they leave the room. Some appliances, including DVD players, use energy even when they are turned off so you need to plug them into power strips to shut-off the flow of electricity.

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Goddard Schools Nationwide Launch Goddard Gets Gardening Program

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Gardening has the ability to educate children about where food comes from and how healthy eating can impact a child’s life both mentally and physically. To plant this seed of knowledge among preschoolers across the country, 360-plus Goddard Schools nationwide will launch the Goddard Gets Gardening program.

Through a number of gardening-related activities, more than 40,000 children will learn about planning, planting, care-taking and harvesting an actual garden.

“Gardening is a fun activity that teaches patience and responsibility, healthy eating, environmental awareness and, more importantly, builds self esteem,” said Joseph Schumacher, Chief Executive Officer at Goddard Systems, Inc. “The Goddard Gets Gardening initiative introduces children, at an early age, to the excitement of gardening and provides an enriching and educational hands-on opportunity.”

The schools are taking their cue from Michelle Obama, who last spring planted the first White House Garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden, to promote community gardening and healthy local eating. The South Lawn plot quickly became the nation’s most high-profile garden spot.

Each Goddard School will develop a unique gardening experience, from sensory gardens that teach children about all the five senses to indoor gardens that demonstrate how easy it is to grow food inside. Whether children live on a farm, in the suburbs, or even in the city, the Goddard Gets Gardening program will encourage children to learn about sustainability, food preparation, plant identification, healthy eating and more.

Every day inside and outside the classroom, Goddard encourages children to lead a healthy lifestyle through a number of programs including yoga, dance, dramatic play, music and movement. The Goddard Gets Gardening initiative supports Goddard Systems, Inc.’s ongoing efforts and commitment to promoting children’s health.

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Gardening Adventures with Your Children

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Gardening - Kids & TeacherIf you want your child to grow up to be a gardener, it’s important to remember to share gardening experiences with them throughout their childhood. These include frequent, pleasurable occurrences, designs that include messy, colorful plots and great memories of working together in the garden. Each child’s capabilities and attention span will vary so it’s important to adjust your expectations. The goal is to teach your children to respect and enjoy gardening as well as experience a feeling of “I did it myself” at harvest time.

The Composting Council of Canada developed the following good reasons to foster a lifelong love of gardening in children.

  • Health: Growing your own vegetables makes it easier to get enough servings each day.
  • Exercise: Digging, turning, spreading compost, mulching, hoeing, excavating rocks – all burn calories, help build muscles and strengthen hearts and lungs.
  • Save Money: Even a small vegetable patch can reduce your expenses.
  • Education: Gardening is terrific for providing hands-on lessons in botany, zoology, weather, hydrology, as well as cycles of life, death and physical decay.
  • Waste Reduction and Recycling: Compost piles transform kitchen scraps, leaves and yard waste into rich soil amendments. Gardeners can reuse of all kinds of cans, cartoons, meat trays and more.
  • Stress Relief: Planting seeds and tending plants can restore balance and perspective.
  • Togetherness: Use vegetables grown together to make delicious meals together and donate abundance to people who need it.
  • Helps Improve Reading and Math Skills: Children can make plant markers, read seed packets and even help pay for nursery plants.
  • Memory Building: Provides great memories for the years to come.
  • Satisfaction: The more time you spend with your children in the garden, the more they will feel the garden is truly theirs and the more eager they will be to take care of it.

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