Let's be honest, kids are naturally attracted to gardening. It's the mud that does it.. and the water. I find the really difficult bit is getting them to move from this stage of general mayhem into something more focused and productive. There are a few pointers which can help.
- Give them the interesting jobs- if you spend some time planning what you are going to do, and preparing, you can make sure you give them the fun jobs to do - they'll be bored in a millisecond if they have to wait around
- Keep it short and sweet - the younger the child, the shorter your gardening activity should be. I find 15-20 minutes of concentration is about all I can expect from my children in one go
- Give them the best spot - if you have the space, try to give your children their own patch to garden - and remember it's quality not quantity. 1.5m2 is large enough to get them started but make sure it's a good spot with decent soil and enough sun. If things don't grow, they'll feel disillusioned with gardening before they've really started
- Grow something to eat- children are so proud and excited to think their efforts have actually produced food. I also find they're more likely to try vegetables if they've grown them.
- Provide some instant gratification - children are impatient and, while it's important that they learn to grow from seeds, it's also a good idea to invest in one or two pot-grown plants, so they can see an immediate impact when they're planted. It's also good to take them to a garden centre and let them choose something themselves (with a little guidance) - this gives them responsibility and means they're more likely to remember to water it
- Keep up their enthusiasm - there will be days, weeks and even months when it just won't be possible to get into the garden. Don't let the children lose all interest. Create a gardening calendar or scrapbook with them, make some plant labels or seed packets, create a scarecrow - anything that keeps them thinking gardening is fun
- The right tools and clothes - assign your children some gardening clothes - they could even customise their own t-shirts, trousers or hats with some fabric pens. Also invest in some decent child-sized tools (the cheap and colourful ones sold in most places are so badly made and weak they're as good as useless).
- Let them get on with it - your child's patch might not look beautiful to you, but if they're using it and enjoying it, try not to interfere.
Sadly, I don't always practice what I preach - particularly when my children's 'bold' plant choices threaten my poncey designer planting schemes. But I'm getting better... slowly.
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