By CATHY PECK, Beltrami County Master Gardener
Getting a kid interest in gardening and nature is a lot like fishing. There are many fish species and each responds to a different bait; one thrives in the shallows, another in deep craters, another in the weeds. Some are speedy swimmers, others more languid. Some snap at bait; others toy with it. Hooking one can be a challenge.
Getting a young person interested in gardening and nature can also be a challenge. With all the competition from electronic media, friends, and a myriad of activities, you might have to try many lures, different times, and different techniques to capture a child’s interest; then you need to set the hook!
The earlier you capture a child’s interest, the more opportunities you have to hold and grow that interest. Hands-on activities engage a child. Make the growing process seem magical; wave a wand and say “abra, kadabra!” Wear a cape and become “Super Gardener.” Be a ham. Make it fun. Use veggie or bee puppets to talk to the little ones.
Give a child permission to help you with activities but don’t overwhelm him with responsibility until he is ready for it. Too many of us learned to hate gardening when we were expected to weed and weed and weed until the job was done. Get children tools sized to their little hands. Give them their own small garden spot and let them have full control of what they plant and how they care for it.
If a child is interested in science, plan activities that involve testing and measuring plant growth, temperature changes, rain measurement. Teach them estimating planting depth by comparing their knuckle length with a ruler.
If the child’s interests are in the artistic realm, do leaf prints on fabric, press flowers for pictures, or sandwich pressed flowers between waxed paper to create sun-catchers. Let your child learn phenology by photographing the same plant weekly and then creating a picture essay.
If a child likes building things, get her involved with constructing an arbor or making stepping stones. Teach her to make a teepee for growing vines. Project possibilities are endless.
As children grow older, challenge them and learn with them. Do experiments, record data and talk about what happens when plants grow. If you don’t know the answers, it is never too late to study and get excited about learning yourself. Reliable resources are available in your public library or on on-line sites from universities and botanical gardens; many gardening workshops are held in our local area.
Build an interest in your child or grandchild that will last a lifetime. Being excited yourself and bubbling over with enthusiasm can convince a child that gardening is fun. Gardening contributes to good physical and mental health and also helps us care for the earth on which we live. We can teach a child to wonder, to ask questions, to verify what he hears for truth.
Nature study can inform us and the child in our lives whether decisions about environmental policy will maintain safe water, food, and the environment for us and for the creatures with which we share this world. With the problem of obesity and the health issues that accompany them, we can help kids get excited about vegetables and healthy eating. The best part of the process is that it is fun! Look at the success the “Take a Kid Fishing” program.
Information on University of Minnesota Extension Home and Garden Information page www.extension.umn.edu/gardeninfo or Beltrami Master Gardener site beltramicountymastergardeners.org. Voice mail, 444-7916.
