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Urban Gardening

Engaging Young Minds

Author: Cailin Fourie


Gardening is not exactly the first activity that springs to mind when thinking of kid-friendly or enjoyable activities. 

Although this might be the case for most kids, starting a garden, no matter how big or small of a space you have available, might just be the vehicle you need to teach your child ethics and essential problem-solving and gardening skills.

Starting an urban garden could be a fun bonding project for you and your child to engage in together. Even if space and budget are limited, you can still do a fun project using 1 or 2 containers and vertical or horizontally mounted structures for trailing or climbing plants. Involve your child in the process, from the initial design/ idea to filling the area/container with soil and planting the seed. Allowing your kids to interact with you and nature through fun projects has many benefits, including refining their fine motor skills, nurturing creativity, hand-eye coordination, and physical development as they use certain muscle groups by moving their bodies.

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Teaching youngsters about ecology and how nature's food chain balances all creatures' populations. Showing them the concept in action could be the building blocks for raising kids who care about living green. When you're spending time together in the garden, explain the function of the insects you come across. For example, we need ladybugs in the ecosystem because they eat aphids. Aphids are very harmful to plants, as they suck the sap out of the plant's stems and leaves, which is why we must have little ladybug warriors to fight off the pesky critters.

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Instilling a sense of responsibility and accountability in younger kids can be especially difficult. By involving them in your gardening maintenance (upkeep?) In small ways, such as giving them a particular area or plant to water (age dependent, of course), you teach them about responsibility and being accountable for their actions. For example, suppose their assigned plant dies or doesn't bear fruit due to lack of water. In that case, they carry the consequence of not having the enjoyment from that plant due to their laziness or negligence.

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Problem-solving is a difficult skill to teach since kids learn in different ways. However, one thing is sure: all kids learn to some degree through play. Gardening is a fun vehicle to carry these skills across. For example, if your plants have bugs that need to be removed, involve your young ones by showing them how you deal with the problem. Some of the many benefits of problem-solving in kids are building their confidence, perseverance, and commitment. Teaching your child how to deal with problems will boost their self-confidence, assuring them they can be self-sufficient and handle obstacles.

Making time and space for some gardening or related activity with your child can instil essential life skills, help them learn about nature, and foster a love for nature and the ecosystems and creatures in them.