Top 5 reasons to garden with kids:
- Gardening inspires healthy eating. Children are more likely to try fruits and vegetables that they have planted, nurtured and harvested.
- Gardening affects the brain. Kids learn from working in the garden. They tend to be more inquisitive and will ask questions about how sun and water can cause a plant to grow out of a tiny seed. Add to this some math—counting, measuring—and experimentation. And think of all those brain-boosting vitamins and minerals in the food they eat.
- Gardening provides much needed physical activity. The recommended amount of exercise for children is 90 minutes. Gardening provides plenty of physical activity, such as digging in dirt, carrying a watering can and pulling around a wagon full of soil.
- Gardening improves mood. There is something satisfying about digging in dirt. The microbes found in dirt can make you happier and more relaxed. Maybe that is why kids gravitate toward gardening tools.
- Gardening promotes patience and self-esteem. Think of how proud a child would be to harvest a carrot he or she tended to over weeks. And instead of immediate gratification, this child would have learned that patience bears the best fruit.
If you are interested in learning more about gardening with young children, register and join us at the garden for a free class, Introducing Young Children to the Garden, on Saturday, June 23 from 1:00PM to 2:00PM.