GARDENING AND KIDS
Have you ever wanted a sure-fire way to enjoy more quality time with your children AND get them to eat their vegetables? Try gardening! When I was a little girl growing up on our farm in Napa Valley, my parents wisely gave each of their 5 children a plot of land of our very own. We were allowed to grow anything we wanted in that space. We could leave it full of weeds, grow flowers, vegetables, cactus or palm trees. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that we were being given the responsibility to care for a portion of the earth. Each of us dug in with a passion, following the examples of our parents. Three decades later, we are all reaping the benefits of our parents gardening wisdom. As a child, I loved experimenting with everything. Lettuces would be planted between begonias and iris, tomatoes interwoven with the calendulas. Cuttings of geraniums and the bright golden pom poms of marigolds would edge the fence near the creek where I had planted asparagus. Weeds were my nemesis, as they still are today, and were not allowed to survive or thrive. Gardening became my therapy and my toolbox for teaching my own two children lessons in living. Gardening develops excellent eating habits when kids get to eat what they grow. Kids are often surprised to learn that strawberries don’t grow in plastic baskets, and that cucumbers are not wrapped in plastic wrap. My son, Justin, experimented with growing a “pizza” garden. He planted all the vegetables that a child could put on a pizza–onions, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn, even spinach. His sister, Heather, would make a sauce from garden fresh ingredients including herbs she grew like oregano, basil, chives, sweet marjoram, parsley, and thyme. I was a hero for providing the crust, cheese, and meats. The kids loved this “home grown meal”. Gardening and eating are a family affair. Try it with your own children and don’t be surprised when they ask for seconds! . Gardening with your children develops strong bonds not only with one another but with our planet. The care and maintenance of living plants teaches stewardship, responsibility, and develops solid work ethics. Children learn that plants, like people, need food, water, love, and protection from predators on a daily basis to survive. Creating a patch of garden just for the family is a wonderful way to spend time together really talking, instead of being zombies in front of a TV set. You can choose seeds together and discover the age-old truth that “whatever you sow you will reap.” When you plant radishes you don’t harvest carrots! Speaking of radishes and carrots, these are some of the easiest seeds for children to plant. A couple of rows of these simple vegetables will have your children begging to care for the vegetable garden because they grow so rapidly. Gardening teaches patience. There is no fast food in the garden, everything takes time to grow and develop. We plant seeds in May that we harvest in August. When I was pregnant with my daughter and my young son would ask “When will the baby come out to play?”, I told him that the baby would arrive when the plums on our plum tree were ripe. For nine months, he checked that plum tree on a daily basis and was delighted when his baby sister was born on the first day he picked a bucket of ripe juicy plums! (See story on p. 185 The Plum Pretty Sister in Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul). Growing a garden instructs children that sometimes we must endure the “barbs” of life to enjoy the beauty of the day. The delicious blackberries we add to our cereal and the perfumed roses that grace our nightstands have sharp thorns that can hurt us if we are not cautious when handling them. Yet, who amongst us would choose a life without these treats? Gardens provide children with faith in the impossible. One of my students, Alexandra, told me how she tended a “pretend” garden in pre-school. Every day she and a friend watered a crack in the concrete believing that they could grow flowers, although their school chums scoffed at this outrageous play. After weeks of waiting, one day, sprouting from a break in the cement was a dandelion in full bloom. From that day forward, she believed that anything could become a reality. Her concrete garden became her symbol of possibility instead of unrealizable dreams. Gardening instills hope in children. There is no failure in the garden…only fertilizer. If something doesn’t grow this year, you can always try planting it next year. In the meantime, create a compost pile and use it to improve your soil and your future plantings. A child’s life is like that…those bumps and bruises will only make them stronger and more resilient through the seasons to come. Life can be learned in the garden. Children will experience the cycle of living from the new birth of spring to the death tolls of winter. And best of all, you can experience it with them and together reap the bounty from the luscious fruits of the vine. The garden is ripe with miracles and memories!
Side Bar: 120 words
PLANTING A “PIZZA GARDEN” OR “PIZZA POT”: Great for ages 5-18! Choose a sunny 3 ‘ x 3 ‘ plot of land, or if you don’t have a garden, try planting in a large clay pot. Plant a bush tomato, sweet green pepper, onions, oregano, chives, basil, and parsley. Water as needed which may mean daily in midsummer. To test soil for dryness, poke a pencil into the soil. If it feels dry to a depth of two inches, it is time to water. Fertilize every two to three weeks or add time-release plant food. Food is especially important when plants such as tomatoes and peppers begin to flower. Experiment and enjoy! Remember there are no failures in the garden. Cynthia Brian, an interior/ garden designer, actor, keynote speaker, and success coach is co-author of the New York Times Best Seller, “Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul “and author of “Be the Star You Are!, 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make A Difference “(Ten Speed Press) and The Business of Show Business. She is the Founder/CEO of Be the Star You Are!® a 501(c)(3) non profit, a library of books and other media to empower youth at risk. Cynthia can be reached at Starstyle® Productions, LLC, PO Box 422, Moraga, California 94556, 925-377-STAR, http://www.star-style.com and http://www.bethestaryouare.org. Tune into her weekly radio program on World Talk Radio.
