The COVID-19 pandemic has left many families stuck at home. As a result, parents are increasingly looking for fun activities they and their kids can enjoy together to keep themselves occupied (and sane!).
Gardening is a good option to consider. First, it gives kids a chance to spend more time outside, something everyone needs during the lockdown. On top of that, gardening is simply a practical hobby that your children will be able to continue enjoying long after the pandemic has run its course.
You just need to remember that kids are more likely to enjoy gardening if you start them off with the type of projects they can handle (maybe that means showing them how to use the cordless lawn mower another day). The following are just a few fun examples:
Rainboot Planters
One of the simplest ways to get kids interested in gardening is to change certain small, basic elements of traditional gardening projects in ways that make them slightly unique. For example, instead of choosing traditional planters, if you have a few pairs of old (preferably colorful) rainboots lying around, you might use them instead. All you have to do is fill the boots with soil and plant flowers. Your kids may want to choose the space on your property where you can display them.
Combine Hopscotch and Gardening
Another way to make gardening more appealing to your children involves combining it with other fun tasks. Do you have any old stone pavers lying around? If so, use 11 of them to create a basic hopscotch pattern, letting your kids paint the pavers in colors of their choice.
What does this have to do with gardening? Once the hopscotch pavers are in place, you and your kids can plant flowers around them, putting a fun twist on a traditional garden path.
Bowling Ball Ladybugs
Unless your family really enjoys bowling, you may need to buy some old bowling balls for this project (ideally ones that are relatively lightweight for safety reasons). That said, the investment is worth the fun your kids will have.
Start by tasking your kids with helping you design a basic garden with flowers or similar plants. Make sure you leave a few open spaces large enough for a bowling ball. Once the garden is complete, your kids can paint the bowling balls red, adding black dots where appropriate to make them look like giant ladybugs. Fill the bare spots of your garden with these creations to make a simple garden something more whimsical and kid-friendly.
Yes, as these examples demonstrate, sometimes getting kids interested in gardening needs to start with incorporating other arts and crafts projects into your gardening projects. You’ll still handle the adult tasks, like using the electric grass trimmer to clear the yard, but by easing your kids into gardening this way, you’ll find they’ll start to love gardening for its own sake sooner rather than later. That’s true even when we’re not in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BY TECHIE MAMMA