Getting Children Gardening

[Shortie]

I was thinking today of a fun way to get my 4 year old to help me in the garden today and was wondering of any other ideas other grapes use?

Mine was to bury treasure in the garden - my bulbs for next year. Now so far he's going along with the idea and even looking excited (even if he's just pretending ) and I've just had the idea to make a reverse treasure map of where to plant the various bulbs and shrubs..

Does any one have any other fun ideas for gardens and/or allotments?

[Farmer_Gyles]

some years ago i chucked a couple of pound coins in the ground and told my kids i'd found buried treasure - they wised up pretty quick tho ... still, got some of the digging done

[MrsC]

I think giving them there own little patch and letting them design it, look at magazines etc, cut out pics and get them to glue onto a board, maybe with a theme. I think once kids start gardening they really enjoy it. Nice to take them out and about and buy seeds and plants etc. Even down to making their own bird boxes etc, somes good kids sites for this. My son made his own mini pond, a black bucket sunk into the ground with some slate and a few stones around the edge (left the handle on so could be easily pulled out if need be), he loves it, likes fishing about in it with a jam jar and seeing what he can find!

[TPeers]

I've let Pippa, my three year old loose on my veg plot with a trowel - she loves copying me and scrabling around in the dirt!

She planted radishes (wonderful crop), spinach (slugged!) and 'helps' whenever I water!

[vicki]

Let them choose something thet like to eat to grow for themselves - my 4 year old has grown some fab cucumbers this year and even sets out his little plastic army figures round the plant to guard it!

[cottage garden]

When my son was two (he is now five) we bought him a childrens wheelbarrow, it became quickly his favourite toy and he spends hours walking after me in the garden each Summer collecting all the veges in it and taking them back to the kitchen.

In Autumn he carries all the bulbs in it and follows me around the garden planting bulbs.

In Winter he helps me cart the compost into the vegetable beds, helps his father carry logs from the woodshed, carries the straw to the animals and makes witches potion in it with his brother and sister.

And in Spring he fills it with compost and then it is his height for using the compost for potting up seedlings hes grown etc.

Money well spent!

We also bought our children 'I SPY' books with trees and flowers in so they could learn the different varieties...They loved these books and now know so much more that looking around gardens is more interesting for them.

My youngest has always loved the thrill of waiting for things to happen. e,g What colour is the foxglove going to be when it comes out? Looking under the rhubarb forcer lid (daily)for the rhubarb to grow, searching for signs of bulbs coming up!

I could waffle for hours about the joy looking for insects can give. Again they need a reference book with really clear pictures so they can tick in the book what they find. It doesn't matter if they can't read the text. They can make old wood piles for stag beetles, hang hollow tubes for bumble bees etc

When my daughter was four she used to spend hours wandering around the garden collecting acorns, little twigs, interesting leaves etc and making fairy houses at the bases of trees. Wish I had photographed them now.

I find that children get excited about what ever you find exciting so if you put enough enthusiasm and talk a lot about the little things in gardening they will want to be part of it. Plus they just love having your attention. I could talk endlessly about this subject because gardening and children are my life really.