Maintaining a vegetable garden with children; fun, tasty and educational!

Walking through the supermarket I realize that I am actually quite grateful for the possibility to get food and drink so easily. As a highly sensitive person I can philosophize for hours, also about this subject. 'Behind the scenes' there is such a big process going on every day before the food is even in the store. Within the education of my lovely toddler, I would also like to tell her that it is actually not so obvious that we can eat. Maintaining a vegetable garden with children in our garden seemed a good idea to me. This way she can see the process from seed to food up close.

Vegetable garden and children; gardening together in the vegetable garden

It seems so simple, but when you maintain a vegetable garden yourself you suddenly get so much respect for food! Gosh, I got so frustrated with all those 'failed apples', all the snails and other 'little visitors' who also like a snack from our vegetable garden. We also had to deal with:too little sun, no rain for too long, too cold, etc. Every day I take a look with my daughter at what the vegetable garden looks like and we are so happy and proud when a very small plant grows a little bigger again. has grown! “Those are baby plants, aren't they, Mom?!” My daughter says while watering the vegetable garden. She is very proud to help in her own farm garden everywhere!

Game while gardening in the vegetable garden

In addition to the vegetable garden for children, I regularly come up with games related to food to let her discover. Very nice! We also like the following game:

• Step 1:collect various seeds and/or seeds from various types of fruit.
• Step 2:let your toddler feel and smell the seeds/seeds, while you trace the seeds 1 by 1 on an A4 sheet of paper with a pen or pencil and draw an image with regard to the relevant fruit type every kernel/seed.
• Step 3:name all the seeds/seeds:'this one is from an apple, do you think it's big or small?' Etc.
• Step 4:Then take each seed/seed with your toddler and ask him/her to place the seed/seed on the correct picture.

It might also be nice to show a YouTube video about the germination of a seed.

Also nice for the vegetable garden (or to sprinkle on the roadside!):making seed bombs! Do you immediately have a fun activity for when the weather is really too bad to work in the vegetable garden.

No place for a vegetable garden?

Do you not have the space/time for a large vegetable garden, but would you also like to involve your toddler more in the growing process of food? For example, think of a vegetable garden on your wall. Or look at these mini-greenhouses available in the store or use 1 plant pot to maintain, for example:a tomato plant, etc. Bags with seeds are available in all garden centers. This usually contains the exact instructions with regard to sowing, care, etc. It is educational and fun to set up such a vegetable garden with your children, but also delicious!