I love gardening and so do my kids. I always made it a point right from when my kids were young to take them to the yard and teach them the basis of planing seeds, watering them and then finally taking care of the plants until they reap fruits and veggies. Today my kids love to garden. They spend an average of one hour in our family garden taking care of plants. They also manage garden waste by compositing them and creating natural fertilizers. It is such a great feeling to see my children growing up as responsible kids who know the value of natural food. Who know more about global warming and other issues that face nature than any other neighborhood kids. They know the difference between organic and inorganic food and know the value of natural food in their diet. They love to eat fruits and veggies fresh out of the garden and stay away from junk food.

I think every child should be taught about gardening. It helps children learn so many important facts about life. If you are a parent please do consider introducing your child to gardening. You need not have a yard in your house to start gardening. You can consider indoor gardening or container gardening. You can buy bedding plants and help your children put them into containers. Ask them to water the plants regularly. Tell them how much water to put and how much is too much. Tell them what weeds and and why they need to be taken out.

Tell kids about the life cycle of a plant and how our own lives are similar. Teach them the value of connecting with nature. Teach your children the importance of nature and natural food. Help them realize the difference between natural food and processed food. Tell them how organic food differs from in-organic food. Show them where our food comes from. Tell them how farmers plant seeds, to produce food that we eat. Every child should know that meat is not born from a container at the grocery store or that milk doesn’t come from a bottle on the shelf. This is especially important if you are living in an urban area that doesn’t contain a lot of green space. All this information helps children connect with nature better. Gardening also teaches children that life has a cycle. They will see that from seeds come flowers and that after those flowers bloom they will turn brown, wilt and then die. It’s a lesson we all learn in time but when you teach it with beautiful flowers, the lesson doesn’t seem quite so harsh.