|Growing Plants from Seeds—A Fun Way for Kids to Learn About the Earth|
|Thursday, 09 August 2012 00:00 | Written by Dawn Marshallsay | Blog Entry|
As a child, I used to plant everything from pepper seeds to ash keys (winged seeds from ash trees) in pots in the disused greenhouse at the end of our garden. I’d water them every day, waiting for the thrill of spotting the first green shoots pushing up through the soil. Any failures were part of the experimentation—the unpredictability fascinated me. Do children have the time, space and patience to plant seeds in the technological age? If we want future generations to care about the environment and look after it, we must involve them in its creation.
Motivation in Reward
Eating Their Greens
Find fresh, colorful pieces of fruit and vegetables, and ask your kids to describe their flavors and textures. Support each product with facts about the vitamins it contains and how this improves their health. It’s also important to remind them (and yourself) that fruits and vegetables sometimes have strange shapes, textures or aftertastes, which might delight a sophisticated palate, but not a youngster.
At the Greengrocers
After growing and tasting their own food, they’ll be better able to appreciate that crops don’t have to be grown using chemical pesticides and fertilizers—which may make the resulting harvest look and travel better, and add to the growers’ profits, but which harm the environment and our health. This should encourage them to eat fresh and organic fruits and veggies even when misshapen or otherwise less than photogenic.
Spider plants are also easy to care for, fast-growing and quick to multiply. These baby plantlets can also be given to friends, or other children in the neighborhood, so they can share the fun.
As a child, it so fascinated me to see the tiny white flowers on my spider plant sprout miniature leaves and white tubular roots in midair, that I used to plant every single one. Hence, friends and family often received them as presents.
Winter Activity: Search for Seeds
A new green world is out there, waiting to be discovered, planted, watered and loved by its junior stewards. It would be a shame for your kids to miss out on the entertainment and edification this can provide. And, of course, it’s much better for the planet if future generations grow up with the respect and love for Mother Nature that growing plants instills.
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Written by Shane , January 13, 2010Report abuse