Photo by Maggie My Photo Album
If you think about it for just a moment, kids can be so funny about plants. Which sounds weird, but think about it, they’re fun, and then they’re not. Well, the concept of a plant being a living being is fun to a kid, but the strict rules on how to take care of them and how slow they grow can be pretty boring, too. But as a parent, you’re busy with stuff in the garden, summer and spring only last for so long, and you need to try and grow what you can, be it in your greenhouse, raised bed, or wherever.
But there’s a lot of perks to kids enjoying nature, the big one being that they understand where food comes from and the hard work it takes to grow food (and hopefully they’ll like vegetables). But they need that responsibility. But how exactly do you, as a parent, make it possible for this not feel like a chore for them? Is there a way?
Just Start with One Plant and a Simple Job
Well, that already sounds easy enough, right? Okay, the fastest way to make kids tune out is by giving them five plants, three tools, and a whole speech about responsibility. They want to have fun, so it’s better to just start with one plant. One. Something sturdy, something forgiving, something that doesn’t act like it’s offended by imperfect watering.
Actually, a herb plant works well, or a hardy little flower, or even a pothos if it’s indoors. But whatever it is, it helps if it’s hardy and it takes a lot to kill it. If a kid can keep it alive, they will enjoy this; this will be fun for them. But again, needs to be one little job, like watering them, for example, something easy like that ideally.
Avoid No-Go Zones
Maybe you can let them in the greenhouse to do small tasks there? Some parents aren’t comfortable with their kids in greenhouses because of how fragile the glass can be, but you could look into either a new greenhouse (one with plastic panels) or even looking into toughened glass and replacing the current panels in your greenhouse for that (much more secure anyway). But if you have “no-go zones” in your garden, well, that makes it less fun for your kid, and they could potentially lose interest (which you don’t want here).
Just Make a Tiny Routine for Them
Well, you just really need to keep in mind here that routines stick better when they’re attached to something already happening. Did you know that? Actually, here’s a nice example you could consider; they could take care of the plant or do their routine after a certain time of the day, like after school or after their nap. It shouldn’t be a new complicated activity. It should feel like an easy add-on.
Again, it needs to be easy enough. Like, they can do a quick plant check, for example, they just check to see if the plant is thirsty or not. That should be easy enough, right?
Yep, Overwatering is the Classic Mistake
Watering is fun, especially in the hot summer months, but you clearly need to avoid any potential issues with that, because plants easily die if they’re overwatered. So it helps to set a simple rule: water only when the soil feels dry, and only a little at a time.
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