Teaching Grandchildren How to Garden

Teaching Grandchildren How to Garden

Last year by chance my son and grandsons were stuck here in India, due to the lockdown. I rarely get to spend much time with them as they live in faraway Mexico. I made full use of this cherished bonus time and had a blast with them. Arian was 6 and Amir was not yet 3. I was sharing all our activities on Social media. And I actually got calls from a few friends, asking for tips on how to be a hands-on Grandma! Sharing one way;

Teaching Grandchildren How to Garden

One of the prime things that a grandma can do for her grandchildren is to spend maximum time with them. Grandmothers these days usually buy the best toys and gifts, and chocolates. But, the best gift to give would be their time. We can play, teach, read, and tell stories and surreptiously, sneak in values and impart some skills to our grandchildren. I love it when both of them chant G Ma!

Grandma and Grandsons Team

When grandchildren visit during school holidays it is the ideal time to bond and spend quality time with the grandkids. Along with cooking, playing, numerous DIY activities, they loved to garden with me.

Teaching kids to garden inspires an attitude of preservation and reverence for nature. For me, gardening with children is absolute fun.

I love my garden and I have a green thumb. It was heartening to see Arian and Amir sharing the same love for gardening.

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Teaching Grandchildren How to Garden

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1. One should start talking to them about the different plants in the garden, mention the colours of the flowers and vegetables. Let them smell them as well.
2. I took egg trays and added soil to them. I showed them how to sow seeds and water the plants.
3. Devote an exclusive spot for the kids in the garden. They will be extra careful about what they are growing.
4. Choose seeds that grow fast so that the kids can watch then sprout. It is a perfect learning experience
5. I used to make them harvest the cherry tomatoes and half of them would be gobbled up in the process.
6. Kids grow to relish what they are nurturing. Arian and Amir had never eaten a Guava. They loved plucking and chomping on them.
7. They would be fascinated by the worms in the vermicompost.
8. Gardening teaches them responsibility. They feel very grown up when you tell them that they have to nurture the plant.
9. It is best to let them learn by watching instead of giving out a list of instructions. Kids know how to imitate and that’s the best way to teach them.
10. Don’t give them gloves when they are gardening. It is good for kids to get muddy.
11. By the time they finish they may be muddy and look like ragamuffins so it’s best to let them wear worn out clothes. Arian is quite adept at watering the plants with the hose. And by the end of it, both of them got out of their muddy clothes and let me give them a shower with the hose.
12. Last year, it was Easter and we arranged for a treasure hunt in the garden. We placed Easter eggs as clues and inside them there was a leaf or flower and ofcourse candy..
13. My garden has lots of creepy crawlies. Garden lizards, bees, butterflies, dragonflies and even a toad near my Lotus pond. They would spot each and ask me what they were. That’s another lesson you can teach in the garden. My grandson found a dead butterfly and gently preserved it in a transparent box lined with cotton.
14. Since it was scorching hot, I got them a paddle pool and placed it in the garden. They spent hours in it cooling off and playing with their floating toys.
15. Arian loves showing off. I used to take their pics while gardening and shared on social media and with his cousins.  He would ask about the comments and would be highly motivated on the praise showered.

https://youtu.be/3V5BS91nicM

Things we did

Teaching Grandchildren How to Garden

What did gardening lead to?

1. Bonding

I am sure my grandsons have fond memories of the time they spent in the garden with me. It was exclusive time spent without the distractions of electronic gadgets, gaming or TV in that space. It is precious bonding time spent together

2. Communication–

Arian and Amir had so many questions and their “Why” would never end. I would reply, “Because the sky is so high”. I would patiently answer every question asked. This hands-on time spent together makes cherished memories.

4. Listening – 

One of the deepest way of interacting with children is to just listen to them. The grandkids may actually teach you something new. I just love hear to their rambles and find it very entertaining.

 5. Relaxing – 

Gardening is quite relaxing, even with a couple of hyperactive kids. They may tire you but it’s a pleasurable type of tiredness. It relaxes your mind and leads to a satisfying sleep.

6. Starting their own garden–

Once they left and went back home, the kids asked my son for plants. Now they have plants all over the house and garden. They are growing cherry tomatoes, green chillies, raspberries and have even grown Butterflies! It gives me great happiness to watch them executing all that they have learnt from me and added more to it.

This is for all the grandparents who have grandchildren visiting. One activity that you can bond over is gardening. They will always remember having a whale of a time with you. Grandparents are always special- they are people who produce magic!

Do check out other gardening post- How to grow marigolds from petals, How to grow microgreens at home, From Garden to Table| Mango Ginger Preserve

‘This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter’