Gardening with Children

          I am always surprised when people tell me that they don't have a garden or can't do any canning because they don't have childcare. These people are cheating both themselves and their children when they do this.

          There are some wonderful books available to help children get excited about growing a garden. They have stories, crafts and recipes to spark an interest about such things.

          One fun project is to build a “Sunflower House”. Mark out in the dirt a square about six feet by six feet, leaving room for a entrance (about 2 feet wide). Have the children plant sunflower seeds and morning glory seeds in the line and cover gently. Water well. The sunflowers will sprout and grow quickly. When they get about 4 or 5 feet high, weave a net of yarn in and out of the stalks and back and forth across the tops. As the morning glories grow they will trail over the yarn lines and form a “roof”.          
     My husband makes bean trees by welding an old bicycle wheel onto a stalk of re-bar. He then makes a ring which sticks into the ground about 4 inches above the earth. From the ring at the bottom to the wheel at the top he strings sea grass  back and forth, then plants our beans around the perimeter of the lower ring. As the beans grow, they latch onto the string and quickly grow to the top. This creates a lovely green “tee-pee” that is laden with beans on the inside of the structure. This also works with sugar snap peas.

          Another fun gardening project is to grow a pizza garden. Mark out a circle about 4 foot in diameter and mark it off in wedges. Then plant a vegetable in each section: cherry tomato plants, a bunch of green onions, a green pepper plant, some basil, a bit of oregano,  and whatever else you like on your pizza pie. As the plants mature, teach the children to harvest  their “crop” and properly preserve it. Washing a few cherry tomatoes or a green pepper, then placing it in a container for the refrigerator is the work of a few minutes. Cutting leaves or branches of herbs and washing then drying them in the oven is also quickly done. On Friday night Pizza Night, it is exciting to start sampling their harvest.

          Depending on the child’s age you may want to assign garden chores. Sometimes this means each child is responsible for a single plant, and sometimes they are responsible for a row. I used to babysit in my home and one of my guests became fascinated with our chickens. She quickly learned to take all weeds to the chicken yard and throw them over the fence. She also learned (at the age of 3) that pebbles or rocks the size of her fist went in the yard, but any stones larger than that went in a rock pile for us to use in rock walls. She very carefully instructed her parents on these rules when they would work in the garden too!

          When it comes to canning (or cooking for that matter!) children can be taught to do their share as well. In my experience, children love working with grown-ups for the

attention as well as the learning. And when they can brag on the skills they have learned, or offer a product they have helped make, they are really proud of themselves.

          I would put a dish pan with a couple inches of water in it on a chair and place a few tomatoes or peppers in it for them to wash. Then I would wash the others at the big sink. Putting the chore on their level helps them accomplish things as well. Sometimes a toddler's job was to carry what I washed to the empty dishpan and let me know when it was full. When I would cut up the food and discard the stems or scraps or tops, they would take the bowls of scraps to the compost pile or chicken yard to dispose of them. Yes I know I could do it myself and usually faster and better, but it kept the children under my watch and taught them to participate in a family chore. They also improved as they grew, but grew up helping the family. They also learned to appreciate the work that goes into making things from scratch, and to value better food.

         Both of our children have gardens at their homes now that they are adults, and both have an appreciation of homegrown food. Our daughter and her hudband both can what they grow and buy at the farmers market and not just the basics. They preserve fancy herbal vinegars and gourmet sauces and jellies. Their Christmas gift baskets are treasure troves of home-canned goodness and homemade delights such as cheese as well as home baked goodies. Every recipient feels like they have been showered with riches.

          A while back a woman told me that she was thinking of giving her 10 year old  some chores. Another woman asked me how old my children were when we gave them chores. I replied “As soon as they could walk!” My children were plumping bed pillows as I made beds, emptying small wastebaskets around the house, folding washcloths and hand towels, sorting their own laundry, and setting the table all before the age of 3. The work wasn't always perfect at first, but they were helping us with the work of the house. When my husband would carry in wood, our son would carry in kindling and felt really proud to be working with his dad! The secret to success of course is lots of praise and appreciation. Rewards should be in keeping with the work. We always sampled the jams and jellies as well as the salsa. We also tried to have a harvest dinner in October where we cooked only what we had grown and/or preserved ourselves. A kind of personal Thanksgiving.

          A few years ago, I had a little girl of 18 months visiting. When I got ready to start supper, I didn't want to leave her on her own so I asked her to wash my dishes for me. We pushed a kitchen chair to the sink and tied an apron under her arms. I threw a bunch of spoons and some measuring cups into the sink and let her wash them. She was delighted  and would scrub and rinse repeatedly. At one point, she called me to her side and gave me a great big hug and said “Thanks you! Thank you!” When everything was in the oven, my husband ran a warm bath for her, but noticed the floor was flooded. He handed her a towel and told her to clean up the floor which she did with equal industry and enjoyment. This was not work to her.

         

          I encourage you not to cheat yourselves or your children of these valuable lessons. Yes you can probably do the work quicker and better, but that means your children will not be able to function until adulthood. And you will be exhausted from doing ALL the work. Instead, why not share the work and the free time?

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