GOT THE MID-SUMMER, OUT-OF-SCHOOL BLUES? GET YOUR KIDS GARDENING!
Source: Family Fun Magazine -
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11689
Giving your child his or her own miniature flower garden provides the right balance of big dreams and little tasks. A small garden of annual flowers is easy to take care of, and she will learn many skills as she nurtures seedlings and cuts bouquets for the kitchen table. Explain to your young gardener that you will be there to help, but like a pet, the garden will be her responsibility. Although you will shoulder some of the work, it is important for kids to exercise stewardship for their green, growing things.
Seeds of choice
Time needed: Weekend Project
1. Planting The Garden
Either rototill or dig the appropriate plot--about 4 feet by 4 feet--and add a good dose of composted manure, humus or topsoil to the surface. Plant the seeds according to package directions or the seedlings according to the instructions they come with. Remember that plants need sufficient space to grow. Show your children how to dig a hole about the size of the root of each plant and place the plant in the hole, gently packing more soil around it. Once everything is planted, give the plot a good watering, then keep watering regularly if you don't have enough rain.
2. Tending Your Garden
To help your child develop a sense of responsibility for her garden, give her poster board and markers, and help her draft a colorful garden-chore chart. Make a grid of weekly tasks to be checked off and have a supply of flower stickers to add to the chart for each task completed. Simple kid chores include watering, weeding, flicking flower-eating bugs into a can, mulching, decorating signs for beds, cutting flowers, removing spent blossoms and, of course, giving garden tours to friends and neighbors. A gift of kid-size garden gloves or tools, available through garden shops and catalogs, is a joyful way to make the following round of jobs more inviting.
3. Mulching
After your seeds sprout, a layer of mulch (hay, wood chips, leaves, grass clippings or other material) helps prevent weed growth.
4. Weeding
When your child first learns to weed, teach her to differentiate weeds from flower plants (often a difficult task). The job is much easier if you've planted seedlings. Then you and your child can compare the leaves of the plant with the much-different leaves of the weeds. Dig the weed up and let your children notice the roots growing at the botom of the plant. Point out that the roots need to be pulled up or the weeds will grow back.
5. Watering
During dry spells, water the garden with a hose, sprinkler or can, being sure to moisten the soil thoroughly--to the point where it puddles--so the plants' roots can drink their fill. Try to concentrate on watering the dirt, not the petals and leaves. This chore is best done in the cool evening.
6. Cutting
Regularly cutting flowers and removing spent blossoms is healthy for plants--and in many cases, makes them bloom more profusely. The best time to cut flowers is in the evening, after sugar has been stored in the plant tissue all day. Clip stems with a sharp knife or a good pair of clippers, and always cut on a slant. Cut flowers last longest if kept in cool water in a cool room.
7. Plotting it Out
You and your child can section off a corner of a larger garden, build a flower box or dig completely new beds. In any case, a sunny plot of 16 square feet or one even smaller will do just fine. A traditional rectangle is a cinch to dig and will have clearly marked, straight beds that are easy to weed. A border garden works nicely if it is narrow enough for kids to reach to the back without stepping on flowers in the front. A circular design, such as the one we have created, invites a fun border, pie-slice flower beds and a perfect birdbath spot. Designate clear paths through your garden by spreading sweet-smelling cedar chips or lining them with stones. Besides being irresistible to kids, pathways keep eager gardeners from trampling new shoots.
Tips:
Choosing What To Grow
Discuss with your family each flower's compatibility with your climate and soil. Then talk about the amount of water, sunshine and fertilizer you will be able to offer your flowers. In a small garden notebook, let your child write down each flower's height, color and width. Annuals are adaptable, so don't be frightened by long lists of requirements on seed packets, but do keep your region's climate in mind. COLOR WITH ANNUALS (Ortho Books, $8.95) has detailed advice on growing annuals and planting information for more than 100 flowers. Ask your gardening center if there are any other special instructions for your area.
Variations:
A circular garden, 5 feet in diameter and bisected by 10-inch-wide pathways, leaves a young gardener with four tiny plots, each perfect for two varieties of annuals.
Cutting Garden:This corner of the garden is the place to grow flowers that thrive from pruning. With their wild, rich hues, delicate bachelor's buttons and hardy zinnias produce great bouquets.
Fragrance Garden:A bed of fragrant blossoms can scent your backyard beautifully--and the tiny blooms of sweet alyssum and sweet William are irresistible to kids. Herbs, such as lavender and sage, also are good candidates for this corner.
Everlasting Garden:Good drying flowers, such as statice and strawflowers, can be cut and hung to dry for bouquets that will brighten the house all year long.
Color Garden:Fill this wedge of the garden with blooms in different shades of your child's favorite color. Here, snapdragons and flashy petunias satisfy a passion for pink.
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11689
Giving your child his or her own miniature flower garden provides the right balance of big dreams and little tasks. A small garden of annual flowers is easy to take care of, and she will learn many skills as she nurtures seedlings and cuts bouquets for the kitchen table. Explain to your young gardener that you will be there to help, but like a pet, the garden will be her responsibility. Although you will shoulder some of the work, it is important for kids to exercise stewardship for their green, growing things.
Seeds of choice
Time needed: Weekend Project
1. Planting The Garden
Either rototill or dig the appropriate plot--about 4 feet by 4 feet--and add a good dose of composted manure, humus or topsoil to the surface. Plant the seeds according to package directions or the seedlings according to the instructions they come with. Remember that plants need sufficient space to grow. Show your children how to dig a hole about the size of the root of each plant and place the plant in the hole, gently packing more soil around it. Once everything is planted, give the plot a good watering, then keep watering regularly if you don't have enough rain.
2. Tending Your Garden
To help your child develop a sense of responsibility for her garden, give her poster board and markers, and help her draft a colorful garden-chore chart. Make a grid of weekly tasks to be checked off and have a supply of flower stickers to add to the chart for each task completed. Simple kid chores include watering, weeding, flicking flower-eating bugs into a can, mulching, decorating signs for beds, cutting flowers, removing spent blossoms and, of course, giving garden tours to friends and neighbors. A gift of kid-size garden gloves or tools, available through garden shops and catalogs, is a joyful way to make the following round of jobs more inviting.
3. Mulching
After your seeds sprout, a layer of mulch (hay, wood chips, leaves, grass clippings or other material) helps prevent weed growth.
4. Weeding
When your child first learns to weed, teach her to differentiate weeds from flower plants (often a difficult task). The job is much easier if you've planted seedlings. Then you and your child can compare the leaves of the plant with the much-different leaves of the weeds. Dig the weed up and let your children notice the roots growing at the botom of the plant. Point out that the roots need to be pulled up or the weeds will grow back.
5. Watering
During dry spells, water the garden with a hose, sprinkler or can, being sure to moisten the soil thoroughly--to the point where it puddles--so the plants' roots can drink their fill. Try to concentrate on watering the dirt, not the petals and leaves. This chore is best done in the cool evening.
6. Cutting
Regularly cutting flowers and removing spent blossoms is healthy for plants--and in many cases, makes them bloom more profusely. The best time to cut flowers is in the evening, after sugar has been stored in the plant tissue all day. Clip stems with a sharp knife or a good pair of clippers, and always cut on a slant. Cut flowers last longest if kept in cool water in a cool room.
7. Plotting it Out
You and your child can section off a corner of a larger garden, build a flower box or dig completely new beds. In any case, a sunny plot of 16 square feet or one even smaller will do just fine. A traditional rectangle is a cinch to dig and will have clearly marked, straight beds that are easy to weed. A border garden works nicely if it is narrow enough for kids to reach to the back without stepping on flowers in the front. A circular design, such as the one we have created, invites a fun border, pie-slice flower beds and a perfect birdbath spot. Designate clear paths through your garden by spreading sweet-smelling cedar chips or lining them with stones. Besides being irresistible to kids, pathways keep eager gardeners from trampling new shoots.
Tips:
Choosing What To Grow
Discuss with your family each flower's compatibility with your climate and soil. Then talk about the amount of water, sunshine and fertilizer you will be able to offer your flowers. In a small garden notebook, let your child write down each flower's height, color and width. Annuals are adaptable, so don't be frightened by long lists of requirements on seed packets, but do keep your region's climate in mind. COLOR WITH ANNUALS (Ortho Books, $8.95) has detailed advice on growing annuals and planting information for more than 100 flowers. Ask your gardening center if there are any other special instructions for your area.
Variations:
A circular garden, 5 feet in diameter and bisected by 10-inch-wide pathways, leaves a young gardener with four tiny plots, each perfect for two varieties of annuals.
Cutting Garden:This corner of the garden is the place to grow flowers that thrive from pruning. With their wild, rich hues, delicate bachelor's buttons and hardy zinnias produce great bouquets.
Fragrance Garden:A bed of fragrant blossoms can scent your backyard beautifully--and the tiny blooms of sweet alyssum and sweet William are irresistible to kids. Herbs, such as lavender and sage, also are good candidates for this corner.
Everlasting Garden:Good drying flowers, such as statice and strawflowers, can be cut and hung to dry for bouquets that will brighten the house all year long.
Color Garden:Fill this wedge of the garden with blooms in different shades of your child's favorite color. Here, snapdragons and flashy petunias satisfy a passion for pink.
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