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Argus Leader
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070515/LIFE/705150317/1004
Gardening with kids
Combine a love for dirt with a little learning
Published: May 15, 2007
Kids and dirt go together like ice cream and chocolate sauce. Turn their love of making mud pies into a love of planting seeds. Both activities involve dirt, and from a kid’s point of view, that’s a very good thing. Besides, plenty of grown-ups have never outgrown the mud-pie stage, and gardening is a good way to bond with your child. Being able to plant a seed, watch it grow and harvest the food is a valuable life lesson, says Cheryl Brown, managing editor of Wondertime Magazine, a kid’s publication. The benefits are tangible.
The child may never have seen the growth cycle up close. “The kid can get in touch with nature,” Brown says. “It encourages their sense of adventure by trying the new food that they grew. The child will realize food doesn’t just come shrink-wrapped from the store.” Their tastebuds become more openminded. “If they’ve grown it themselves, they’re more likely to try it,” Brown says.
“The beauty of gardening is if you can’t get them to eat the food, at least they are interacting with the food.” And for picky eaters, that’s a valuable alternative.
Container gardening may be the perfect way to get started. It eliminates weeding, children can’t step on the seedlings or pull out the wrong thing, and pot gardens typically have fewer pests. “Gardening in containers seems less intimidating to many families,” Brown says. “You can have a pot or two of tomatoes or beans without digging up the yard. Any family can do it.”
