Gardening with Elementary Aged Kids

Do gardening in pots/planters.
Go to your local garden store, and ask them, they will help you and what you need.
Easy plants: (which you can grow from seed or buy 'bedding plants' already growing in starter pots): marigolds, zinnias, green beans, sunflowers.

Buy: potting soil in bags to fill your planters with. Some garden gloves, fertilizer or "Miracle Gro", planter "saucers" to place under the pots to catch the water run-off so it doesn't get all over your porch floor...

**(adding this): OH! and buy a watering can, and maybe some gardening 'tools'... hand tools that are sized such that kids and adults can use them. Also, "nasturtiums" & geraniums are easy to grow too, and cute looking, and don't need much care.

Go to: www.burpee.com this is how I learned gardening when I was a child, my Grandpa would order things for me from here and we would grow it. I still order from them, and just ordered some seeds from them last week!

Gardening is SO much fun! I've been a gardener since I was a child, and it is one of my most fond memories.

Good luck,
Susan

Tara,

That is awesome! My son is 2.5 and loves his garden...he has one at the house we share with my parents, but we also have special pots that he tends to with things he's picked out at the nursery.

Everyday when I get home from work we water and weed, and he LOVES it. Plus, it's a nice release for me and awesome bonding time!! I grew up with gardening and my Dad and I always had something growing...corn, watermelons, tomatoes and even an avacado tree.

What I did was bought some long planters, like Susan suggested and seperated them with popsicle sticks so he could do different veggies...like right now he has tomatoes, strawberries and a bunch of other things too.

If you have a local small nursery, they are huge helps and love answering questions!

Good Luck...and have fun!!

Hello Tara,

I agree with Susan as well -- long planters that he can grow things like cucumbers, tomatoes, and even corn in. And you can also plant grass and let him cut it with scissors. Herbs like dill and rosemary are also good because the children can harvest them often, use a mortar and pestle to grind them and smell the product, etc.

Why don't you come visit my school and I can give you some ideas. We have a great child-tended garden as well as a larger garden here at the school.

Let me know if you're interested in visiting. We are close to you, in Hollywood Riviera, by Malaga Cove and South Redondo Beach.

Lots of Love,
Linda

www.RivieraPlaySchool.com
http://rivieraplayschool.blogspot.com/

I'm trying out the Topsy Turvy tomato plant growing thing that you can hang anywhere.. great for an apartment. :)

Hi Tara, go to walmrt and get a couple pots, maybe and maybe a a flower box. I have let my daycare kids plant beans and Sun Flowers, i choosed those cause they grow fast, gardeing is one of my hobbies, i love it, and doing it with children is fun, when my brother and I were in elementry we grew our own corn it was fun. the also have seed packets for easy groing flowers, and if the sun gets to hot you can bring them inside then put them back out. J. L.

Hi!
My friend actually has a company you should check out- go to www.foodmapdesign.com.
They make containers that are made out of recycled material, made in LA and are on wheels so perfect if you don't have a lot of space or want to move them for more light. Also, come in sizes which are easier for kids to use!
Good luck!