Get those kids in the garden

Get those kids in the garden

While gardening can often be seen as an activity for older people, it can be fascinating for kids to grow their own stuff and it's good for them as well.

Gardening gets them off the couch and away from their playstations. It gives them a chance to learn about their environment, and make it a better place; kids that can take pride in doing something to improve their community are less likely to be destructive. It can also teach them skills that can be useful as adults when they have property to maintain and children of their own to feed.

Gardening for kids is often best approached as looking for fairly quick results. Growing brightly coloured flowers, like sunflowers or tasty fruits like strawberries is usually the most rewarding to them. While more experienced gardeners can understand nurturing plants for years in order to achieve floral perfection, kids need to be able to know they won't be 21 before they get a snack.

It dosen't need that much space either. If you have room for a window box, you can start to teach your kid. Obviously a bit more space is better, but don't overdo it, a flowerbed rather than a few acres is the best way to engender enthusiasm.