Gardening is an activity kids love!
They love it because of its very sensory and slightly magical aspect.
In addition, the educational powers of gardening are multiple:awakening of the senses, tracking in time, organization of space, psychomotor work to perform the different gestures...
Everything contributes to make it a complete educational activity.
So how do you get them to discover this occupation that is both very formative and very fun? I'll give you some tips to introduce them to gardening.
Here are 5 planting ideas to help you, tested with my students, from 4 years old!
Use a plastic bottle cut in half by an adult.
Then place the upper part upside down in the lower part, neck down.
Put 1 or 2 pebbles in the neck, potting soil on top and water at the bottom of the pot, so that the neck soaks in it.
You can plant a kernel of apricot, avocado or peach, plum...
A very practical child's game when you don't have a garden!
Soak the plants in about 15 ml of water, then make a large hole in the soil. Plant the stake right next to the hole.
Then lay the seedlings at the bottom of the hole, backfill and water very often.
Don't forget to tie the shoots to the stake as they grow.
A little natural fertilizer will also be very effective.
You can harvest the first cherry tomatoes as early as July.
Seven-year-old Louise was so proud to bring her small harvest to the table. Miracle, she who doesn't like vegetables swallowed them greedily. Nothing beats garden vegetables!
Soak the nasturtium seeds overnight. Dig a shallow hole to put 3 or 4 seeds in.
Plant the stake in the center and cover with potting soil. Regular watering is required.
When the shoots soon reach 10 cm, the less beautiful must then be pulled out and the others tied to the stake as they grow.
Little Pierre was so happy to see his flowers grow. It made him want to garden "like grandpa!"
They are plantedin the fall , in a sunny place.
Make a hole 2 or 3 times deeper than the height of the bulb, and put them in groups in odd number.
Water regularly to have pretty tulips in the spring!
My favorite, kids love it!
Just soak a handful of lentils overnight in a little water.
In the morning, put a little soil at the bottom of a container, put the lentils and cover them with 2 or 3 mm of moist soil. After 2 days, you will see the first shoots coming out. And they will grow visibly day by day!
This planting requires very little attention and you can find lentils in supermarkets. My students were so happy and proud to show their mom their little jar with sprouted lentils.
Thanks to this experience, they understood that vegetables and fruits came from the earth. Some moms have told me that their little one has taken care of their lentil sprouts for a long time, marveling at each development.
Children are all capable of carrying out these simple experiments which give them the pleasure of seeing what they have planted and cared for grow with minimal care.
