Your Family at Home

Children can begin cultivating a love for gardening at a young age. The following are a few ideas that will spark your child’s interest in growing plants. Some activities are designed to be completed indoors, others outdoors. Whichever ideas you choose, remember you are laying the groundwork for a lifelong love of gardening. You may even find the most fruitful thing you have grown this year is a gardener!

Colorful carnations
One of the most intriguing things regarding plants is how they absorb water. Here’s an idea that will demonstrate to children just how it happens. Take 3 white carnation flowers. Fill 3 glasses with water and place 5 drops of food coloring into each glass. In the first glass, put red. In the second glass, use blue. In the third glass, try green. Cut the end of the carnation stems at an angle and place one stem in each glass. Let it sit for a few days. Within 24 hours, the water will begin to climb up into the stalk. Soon the white flowers will take on the same color as the water!

Hairy eggheads
Most people think grass belongs outside. With this idea, you can grow it in your kitchen. Empty eggshells that have been carefully cracked, keeping the lower 2/3 intact. Wash them out and let them dry. On the outside of the shell, draw a mouth, eyes, and nose with a felt-tip pen. Fill the shells with potting soil. Sprinkle grass seed on the surface of the soil, lightly pressing the seeds into the soil. Water gently; place the eggshells in an egg carton. Over the next few days, be sure the soil is moistened, but not too wet. Soon “hair” will begin to grow. Scissors can be used to cut the egg’s “hair.” Or let it grow long.

Bulging beans
This activity will allow children to explore the various stages of bean-seed growth. Collect 6 eggshells, carefully cracking them to keep the lower 2/3 intact, as directed above. Wash and dry the shells. Number them from 1 to 6 with a felt-tip pen. Fill the shells with potting soil. Make a hole in the soil with a finger, and place 1 bean seed in each shell. Gently cover the top of the seed with soil. Sprinkle a little water over the soil to moisten. Place eggs in an egg carton and set on a sunny windowsill. Set 1 unplanted bean seed aside for comparison. After 3 days, dig up seed No. 1 and compare it to the seed that wasn’t planted. What is the difference? Wait 2 more days, then dig up seed No. 2. Is the root starting to grow? The next day, pull up seed No. 3. Does the root look any longer? Three days later, dig up seed No. 4. Are the roots growing any bigger? Look at the other eggshells. Do you see roots beginning to break through the soil? Keep an eye on the soil to be sure it is moist, but not too saturated. Count how many days it takes until the plant begins to grow leaves.
 
Spongy lettuce
Who says you need soil to grow plants? Moisten a sponge and place lettuce seeds in the holes of the sponge. Put the sponge in a shallow pan of water; place the pan in a well-lit area. The plants will form foliage. If you place water-soluble fertilizer in the pan, a crop of leaf lettuce may even begin to grow.

Taking root with food
This activity has been around for a while, but it still fascinates those coming up through the ranks. Cut a carrot about 1/2 inch from the top. Place the carrot top in a shallow dish filled with moist potting soil. In time, the carrot will begin to grow leaves.  

Alternative: Cut about 1 inch from the top of a pineapple. Place the end with the fruit side in a shallow pan of water. After several weeks, roots will begin to grow. Move the plant to a pot of moist soil. Cover the plant with clear plastic for 3 weeks, keeping the plant well-watered. In about a year, tiny pineapples may begin to grow.

Monogrammed pumpkins
Here is a new spin on an old tradition that will keep children in the pumpkin patch all summer long: Plant pumpkin seeds in a garden where the soil has been tilled. Water and wait for the seeds to germinate. Mulch the soil with straw and pull up any weeds. Fertilize every 2 weeks. In time, several tiny pumpkins will appear at the bottom of the flowers. When one of the pumpkins is softball size, invite your child to write his initials on it with a felt-tip pen. Take a paring knife and go over the initials your child wrote, applying enough pressure to scrape the pumpkin skin. In time, the pumpkin will begin to grow and the initials will expand!

Sunflower shack
Everyone needs a hideout. For children, this is the perfect retreat. Plant sunflower seeds in a sunny location where the soil is dry and drains well. Plant the seeds in a horseshoe shape that measures about 9 feet in diameter. Leave an opening around part of the circle so your child can walk in and out of the “house.” As sunflowers begin to grow, secure them with large stakes to keep them from falling over. In the center of the horseshoe, lay down an old blanket for your children to sit down on.

Classified veggies
Grow 1 edible item from each of the following categories: roots (carrots, turnips, potatoes, beets, onions), stems (celery, broccoli, asparagus), leaves (lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard) and seeds (peas, beans, corn). Explain to your child that certain parts of each plant are edible, while on other plants, that same part cannot be eaten. Plan a dinner using vegetables from each of the categories.

Finally, remember there are other ways to instill a love for gardening in your child. Check out plant-related books found in the children’s section of your library. Make fruit, vegetable and flower collages from old seed catalogs. When you are shopping, pick up child-sized gardening tools and gloves designed for little hands. And when it is time to plant your family garden, include your child in the process. Remember, gardening with children is more than just a fun activity. It lays the groundwork for a lifelong hobby that, in years to come, will reap many rewards.

Freelance writer Denise Yearian is the former editor of 2 parenting magazines and the mother of 3 children.