a child in the gardenTeaching Life Lessons in the Garden

By Iris Watson


Like peanut butter and jelly, kids and dirt just naturally go together.

Tapping into that natural interest in dirt and all things gross and yucky can be a huge educational tool for parents and teachers alike. For the past 30 years or so, I have observed a lot of your children and grandchildren at the nursery, and those little minds are as fertile as the very richest soil. I promise you, if you plant the right seeds early on, you will have a lifetime of bountiful harvests, and the child will carry valuable information--and a green thumb--through his life.

In the beginning, the child must receive some instant gratification to keep his interest in gardening. A toddler does not understand that if you plant a seed now, three weeks later something will pop up. He would much rather dig the seed right back up again, and therein lies the gratification: digging. You may have noticed that whenever you are working in the garden, your little person is glued to your side, diapered butt up in the air and fists and face in the dirt. If you want to keep the damage to your yard to a minimum, keep the digging tools small--an old tablespoon is perfect. Transferring dirt in and out of several small containers can occupy a toddler for at least 30 minutes!

As the child gets older and can wrap his mind around the planting process (we hope!), expand your curriculum, but remember to keep it simple. The time from seed to germination can seem like an eternity even to you, so imagine how long it must seem to a 4-year-old. To ease the frustration, choose seeds that germinate quickly such as squash, peas, beans, radishes or lettuce and flowers like sweet peas, sunflowers, nasturtium or marigolds. Also, plan carefully so that you avoid a built-in failure by selecting plants and seeds that are season appropriate (i.e., don't plant sunflower seeds in September or sweet peas in June). Also, you might think of planting a combination of seeds and young plants for a broader range of things to discuss and compare.

Stay in curriculum mode and think of how gardening can apply to geography (blueberries are native toa child works in the garden North America and eastern Asia), math (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers), English (A is for apple, B is for begonia) and even physical education (up, down, lift, drag, stretch). And since home economics is no longer offered in school, gardening can help to teach kids the virtues of picking up after themselves and the purpose of the "green bin."

I have always felt that gardening can--if presented with enough of our attention, love and enthusiasm--teach a child a lot of life's basic principles. Children learn foresight by planting seeds and digging and feeding the soil; patience by waiting for seeds to sprout, fruit to ripen or flowers to bloom; love and nurturing by tending to the plants and satisfaction by enjoying the fruits of one's labor.