DIG IN! S Exploring Gardens with Children pring and summer bring with them blue skies, warm days, lazy afternoons, and the perfect opportunity to get your hands dirty and do some digging with your kids. You don’t have to be a garden pro or know anything about gardening to jump in and create beautiful garden memories with your little ones. feelings of wonder, awe and empowerment, even in very young children. Growing edible plants also exposes children to a wide variety of fruits and vegetables which, Gattuso says, children are more apt to try food if produced by their own hands. Getting Started Families and children of all ages can begin their garden exploration by visiting gardens, parks and other places where plants are grown or sold. This could mean your own backyard, or a community garden or arboretum maintained by volunteers or professionals. Local plant nurseries, farms, orchards, Pick-Your-Owns, and even farmers’ markets are great places to see first-hand a variety of plants and the fruits and vegetables they produce. For a more hands-on experience, designate a sunny spot in your yard, garden or patio for your child to create their own garden. Choose a place that is easily accessible and likely to be visited by your child on a daily basis. Containers of potting soil work well if you are short on yard space. If possible, provide kid-sized tools. You can purchase an inexpensive set or scavenge materials such as spoons and measuring cups from around the house. Choose plants with kid-appeal. Seeds that are quick to germinate, Gardening with Children continued on page 6 By Heather MacMahon Connecting with Nature “Children have fewer and fewer chances to interact with the natural world, and the connection to nature is important to their development,” writes Rory Klick of the American Community Gardening Association. “Children who develop regard and concern for the natural world come to be good stewards of the land and its resources.” Warrenton parent and preschool teacher Lorraine Gattuso agrees. “Gardening draws children away from this increasingly distracting world of multimedia into the realm of nature.” Gardening takes time and patience and teaches children the basic principles of nature. Plants need sunlight, water, food, and time, and children who are given the opportunity to nurture and care for them learn the critical skills of patience, delayed gratification, and discipline. The act of creating and maintaining a garden encourages ingenuity, stimulates the senses, and fosters Maia and Colin MacMahon enjoy the fruits of their labor over the years in Fauquier County. 2013 • Issue 3 Piedmont Family Magazine 5