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4 Reasons Gardening is GREAT for Children - Plus How To Choose The Right Plants
Gardening is such a great activity to do with children - for a few reasons:
- It's a meaningful and hands-on way of teaching children about the life cycle of plants.
- Growing vegetables and other edible plants may help children broaden their pallet and try some of these foods.
- Gardening helps children to gain an understanding of and appreciation for interdependence (the dependence of two or more people or things on each other).
- As a child grows, they will begin to make connections with the food they see in grocery stores and their own vegetable garden at home. They learn to appreciate that all food was grown somewhere and by someone to provide us with nourishment.
Choosing Child-Friendly Plants
If you're ready to introduce your child to plant care or gardening, here's a few recommended guidelines for choosing ones that are child-friendly:
1. Ensure it can withstand a little over or under watering. We want our children to be successful so plants that are sensitive to the amount of water they're getting aren't a great choice for eager little gardeners.
To choose a plant that fits this criteria, talk to someone working at your local garden centre. We also have some recommendations below.
2. Choose a plant that's non-toxic.
Below are some recommended plants. We've included options for vegetable plants, flowers, and indoor potted plants.
1. Vegetable Plants
- Tomatoes - many different types but cherry tomatoes are the easiest to grow
- Lettuce and Kale - very low maintenance
- Bush Beans - bush beans are “common” beans like green beans, but they grow in a bush rather than a pole. Bush beans are easier to grow.
- Cucumbers - hardy and have a long harvest, from spring to fall
- Bell Peppers - love hot weather
- Root vegetables - like radishes, potatoes and carrots are also a great choice but they tend to need a bit more space.
Growing Potatoes From A Potato!
A fun experiment to help children understand the lifecycle of plants would be to grow potatoes from a potato. If you have one that's sprouted, cut a chunk off with 2-3 eyes and plant it.
2. Outdoor Flowers
Flowers are a great way to create beauty in your outdoor space. Once the plant has flowered, you can also cut some of the flowers for a flower arranging activity or press them for crafts using a flower press.
- Sunflowers - these are fantastic once they’re fully grown and really easy to grow if you have sun. Once the seeds are ready for harvest, you can dry out the flowers and use tweezers to pluck the sunflower seeds out to roast them and eat them!
- Marigolds
- Nasturtiums
- Geraniums
- Purple Cone Flowers
3. Indoor Plants
Adding a small plant to your child's play area or table is a wonderful opportunity to teach care for the environment. If they're old enough, you can visit the garden centre together to choose a plant and pot.
The plants listed below are non-toxic for children. If there is a chance your child will eat the leaves of a plant, you might consider planting an herb garden instead, i.e. basil, mint or parsley.
- Spider Plant - very resilient
- Palm Plants - enjoys moist soil and indirect sun
- African Violet - these flower and don’t need a lot of sunlight
- Zebra Plant - needs frequent, small amounts of water so perfect for young child showing strong interest in watering plants
- Boston Fern
Child-Sized Gardening Tools
When possible, it's helpful to offer child-sized tools for practical life activities, like gardening.
They're easier for small hands to use and they help children to feel included and welcome in an activity.
We have a great little selection of children's gardening tools here: https://themontessoriroom.com/
