Getting the little ones into the idea of gardening or healthy eating can be a real challenge to be sure. Some kids believe just the feeling of wet earth will be, like, “ugh yuk!” whereas other children are not just a little bit scared of what creepy crawlies they might find when they dig deeper. But all they need is a little bit of encouragement.
For a young child, the circle of life and how organic things can grow with a little bit of tender love and attention can be a fascinating thing for them to learn. Just as the seed of an idea is where a big success begins, tiny seeds can be planted by teachers with the participation of school kids and even pre-schoolers attending a nursery, to see how the plants grow over time.
It is useful for kids to learn where the fruit and vegetables that their parents buy at the supermarket or local fruit and vegetable stall come from. It’s difficult to know where to begin though when you know so little. But a little instruction and a packet of seeds are easy first steps.
This is exactly what the teachers at the London-based Bosco Centre Nursery did when they set up a little area to try growing some seeds from the supermarket. Both the teachers and the little ones were surprised how well they did and interest grew right along with the seedlings.
Now parents too are getting in on the nascent project by supplying vegetables like spring onions, peas and carrots to add to the growing table. As the little children get to taste more of their own produce, excitement grows to try more things. Not everything is a growing success, but that’s gardening in a nutshell and a good lesson to learn too.
