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How to grow your own with kids #31DaysOfLearning

In 31 Days of Learning today – we have a little bit of a focus on the garden; we are looking at how to grow their own with kids thanks to Dorset Country Life.

how to grow your own with kids

With the way the world is going, it is so important we instil in children the importance of sustainable living. Recycling and teaching them how to separate and reuse items is a great first step. However, one of the best and I think most important things to teach our young generation is how to grow their own food.

This does not need to cost a lost of money, take a lot of time or even use up a lot of space. Whether it is a window box, a small corner of the garden or something you want to make into a project together, the important thing is to have a go and it’s always great to get outside with the kids and you’d be surprised at how much it encourages them to eat and try more fruits and vegetables.

Over on Dorset Country Life, we grow our own produce at the allotment and encourage Alyssa (daughter/granddaughter) to be with us as much as possible and she adores it!

So how do you go about it? We’ve got three top tips to make growing your own with kids much easier.

how to grow your own with kids

Choose where they’re going to grow

kids in the garden

You are going to have to find either a small patch within the garden, or if you perhaps don’t have as much outdoor space; a window box. It is good to encourage a sense of ownership so “agree” where to position things,

Choose the seeds

how to grow your own with kids

It is a good idea to start simple and choose quick growing things e.g. radishes and lettuces and large seeds that sprout quickly like beans, cucumbers and pumpkins as the first shoots are so exciting. In addition, if your children are anything like most 5 year olds, patience isn’t necessarily one of their key attributes…. 😂 Another idea for you, is to purchase things that have already sprouted and just need planting from their pots as well, like strawberries, snapdragons and herbs.

Follow the instructions

Then all you need to do is help them by encouraging them to follow the instructions which come with each plant or seed packet. Thank goodness for reading labels!

growing food with kids

Let them make mistakes, plants do die if they are not watered, let them enjoy harvesting and eating the garden produce.

Don’t be disappointed if the interest fades, your child may not want to keep on gardening and find other hobbies more interesting, but you have given your child the choice, and maybe, just maybe, found a new hobby yourself.

For more information or tips on helping children learn to grow their own, I recommend FlowerPot Man. Why not kick off their interest with this great download too!

Dot to dot garden tool

grow your own dot to dot

We hope you love these ideas, and do let us know how you get on. If you are looking for more outdoor activities and gardening tips, why not check out these from the KiddyCharts blog as well.

Garden and outdoor ideas

Just a few more gardening and garden activities for you to take a look at.

We’ve got a few more ideas up our sleeves, so why don’t you sight up to our newsletter for more of the same each week? You will also make sure you get all the learning activities we have this month too of course.

See you soon,

Helen
grow your own with kids

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