5 Reasons Why You Should Dig in the Dirt With Your Kids

Blueberries from my backyard berry patch

Getting dirty has a whole lot of benefits.

When the military relocated my family to the South East, I was excited to grow a whole plethora of fruits and vegetables that don't thrive in the Northwest. Citrus trees, anyone?  I was also thrilled that after years of living in base housing or renting, we were able to purchase a home with lots of room for gardening.

I was not raised by gardeners, but have always had the urge to grow things. My base-housing porches often hosted a variety of tomatoes and strawberries in planters and I've been known to sneak broccoli and cabbage into my landscaping. Just saying.

With the space to grow our own food, it's been an adventure in trial and error. Some plants die. I have no idea why. One day they are fine. The next they are yellow, limp, or squashed flat to the ground by the mysterious character "Not Me."

The kids love helping plant new seeds and sprouts. They don't enjoy weeding, but they love eating the fruits and veggies they grew.

You don't have to be a natural green-thumb or have extensive knowledge to garden with your kids. Gardening with kids is fun. Here are the top 5 reasons why you should dig in the dirt with your children:

1.  Gardening encourages healthier eating habits.

When kids are actively engaged in planting, watering, and watching their food grow, they are so much more likely to eat it.  Kids thrive when they consume a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, yet it can be quite difficult getting them to try new things. My kids will eat anything they grow and because they are invested in it they usually love it. Broccoli? Eggplant? Tomatoes? They don't love these items when they come from the store. Yet if they helped grow it, the kids eat it.

Read more: http://mommyuniversitynj.com/2015/05/04/10-benefits-of-gardening-with-kids/

2. Gardening is good for the brain.

Learning to garden has been an education for me. I'm definitely in the grammar stage (aka very beginning) of growing. My kids are learning along side me. My interest and enthusiasm sparks interest and enthusiasm in them. They're learning a ton. What nutrients do plants need to grow?  Why are worms important and what is their life cycle?  How can we attract butterflies and why exactly are pollinators important? What is photosynthesis? These questions all build a love for and appreciation of science and nature. Reading books about plants and the creatures living in our garden increases reading skills. Measuring how tall our tomatoes have grown totally counts as math.

Check out this article from PBS for more info on gardening and education: http://www.pbs.org/parents/expert-tips-advice/2016/03/gardening-kids-affects-childs-brain-body-soul/

3. Gardening gets the entire family up and active. 

Weeding and watering count as exercise. Not only does our garden keep us active, but it also encourages us to spend more time outdoors. Digging, raking, pulling grass for new beds, and chasing our dogs out of the berry patch exert energy and burn calories. The kids and I also enjoy checking on our plants daily, walking the yard to see what is ripe and what is turning brown because we forgot to water it.

Here's a great article to learn more: http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/gardening-for-kids-benefits/

4. Bond as a family, and build patience too. 

Put down that tablet or smart phone. Get off Facebook. It's time to create something together as a family. Planting a garden together is a vested interest. Don't worry about it looking picture perfect. Don't concern yourself if your child wants to plant something you don't care for... praise their initiative. Gardening together gives you time to bond and build relationships. Preparing the food you grew sparks conversation and shared experiences. It won't always work out as you planned. Frustration happens. Last fall, my helpful youngest child weeded my garden for me... pulling out all my new sprouts. Sigh. Gardening builds patience as well.

Here's another great article for inspiration: https://www.theresourcefulmama.com/the-top-8-reasons-your-kids-should-be-gardening/

5. Gardening builds responsibility. 

If you don't water your plants, they die. Plain and simple.  One fun idea is to give each child their own garden space (no matter how small). Let them decide what to plant. Let them plant and tend to it.  Perhaps remind them to water and weed, but don't do it for them (school-age children).  If they fail to do so, the natural consequence is a dead plant. If their sibling cares for their garden and it thrives, producing a small harvest to be enjoyed at the family table, this is a natural encouragement for the not-so-motivated child to try harder and become more responsible.

For even more information, check out this article: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/gardening-for-children

These sweet potatoes grew from store-bought sweet potatoes that were forgotten in the pantry and grew roots. I planted them in fertilizer and potting soil and a month later, voila!

Gardening at home doesn't need to be expensive or elaborate. You don't need a massive yard. A window sill is just fine.  Don't be afraid of failure. It doesn't work out every time. But most likely you will learn from the experience and have even more success next time.

Get out there and grow some family bonds this summer. :)

I frequently post pictures of our garden on my twitter feed, if you'd like some inspiration: https://twitter.com/AzaleaPub