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Children + Dirt = Fun
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Author: Staff Writer

Children have a natural affinity for dirt and digging. So do some adults; that's why they keep gardens probably!!

Getting your children involved the garden can be a wonderful experience for all.

• Working to achieve something great is a powerful experience to share. During the digging and weeding, there is plenty of time for silence and laughter. Many terrific conversations and silences took place between my mother and I in our vegetable garden.
  
  
• Sharing your love of the outdoors and exercise is a great antedote to video games and the T.V.
  
  
• There are many teaching and learning opportunities in the small world of the garden.
  
  
• The help is, of course, another bonus!

To reap all of these benefits, you need to keep a couple of simple rules in mind.

1) Keep tasks kid sized

Nothing causes flare-ups like frustration. Success leads to smiles.

Children have short attention spans. Give them a small task that can be completed in a short amount of time. Alternately, know that they will help for a short time and then they'll start day dreaming and fooling around.

2) Tailor the task to the age of the child.

Make sure that the task is easily accomplished with a his/ her strength and abilities. Turning over earth is for teenagers, toddlers can help with easier tasks.

It's not fair to expect a child to work with adult sized tools. Have child-sized tools like small trowels, watering cans on hand so that they can help without hurting themselves.

Ask yourself if this job needs to be done perfectly. If nothing less than perfection is acceptable, this is probably not a job you should do with your children.

3) Give Children Choice

Nothing makes a kid more motivated than giving him or her ownership of a project. Adults really operate the same way. Give your child an outlet to express her own wishes.

Allow your helpers to make their own choices (within a small framework). For example, pre select three plants that would be appropriate for the area. Pre-filter the selections based on conditions (i.e. sun / shade, height, etc.) and then allow the child to make the final decision regarding the plant that will be planted.

This is the old trick of "which boots do you want to wear, the red ones or the blue ones!" that has helped many a parent get a difficult 2.5 year old out the door.

4) A place of one's own

If you have the space, give your little helper a place entirely their own. It could be a corner of the garden, or a window box. This is the place where they can let their imaginations run wild.

Short of making emergency interventions to make sure that one plant survives, this is off bounds for adult meddling. You can remind to water, but mustn't do it for the child! Children will learn lessons about cause and effect and responsibility. Of course, you'll need to tailor your level of intervention to the age of the child.

5) Quick successes

Children don't have a very firm grasp on the passage of time. I remember trying to explain to my nephew about my upcoming marriage. He knew that it was coming up, but seemed puzzled when the weekend came and no wedding took place (week-end after week-end)!

Instant gratification! is not possible in a garden. (I wish it was). But you can choose to include children on projects that offer faster gratification. I.E. Get them to help you plant annuals like pansies or impatiens. If you are choosing to grow things from seed, pick quick germinating seeds!

6) Keep it fun

The most important rule to remember is to keep this fun. Lead by example! If you approach your garden as joyous recreation, your children will be clamouring to join in (unless their teenagers J ) If your attitude's that it's an onerous chore, you'll probably have whiny, reluctant children.

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