GREEN Gardening with your Kids

Adopting a Green Living lifestyle requires a lot of changes and education for adults considering the habits that have been learned and practiced for many years. Having your children learn the habits of greener living when they are young will have a big impact on the preservation of our world’s environment.

Gardening is a fun way to teach your children to appreciate ecological concepts and their responsibilities and roles in our environment’s condition. What you choose to plant and nurture in your garden can help make an environmental difference. The following are some simple gardening activities that you can do with your children that will inspire them to care for our environment and take their role in making a difference.

Collect Rain Water. Starting a rainfall storage system will assist in water preservation and lessen the demand for municipal-water supplies. Also rain water is proven to be more beneficial to your plant’s growth than tap water, therefore, a rainfall storage system not only has great advantages for the environment but also has wonderful benefits for your plants. Rain barrels can provide you with a sufficient amount of water to use for your lawn, gardens and potted plants. These past couple of summers have had record-breaking rainfall so take advantage of the weather and start your storage system.
Place a barrel beneath your roof’s downspout and start collecting; it’s as simple as that. Using a cover with holes in it will help keep the debris out. Also, keep in mind that if you are reusing barrels that they should not have been previously used to store chemicals, solvents or oils.

Recycle and Reuse in your Garden. Most children know the basics of recycling paper, plastic and aluminum. Teaching them how to reuse household materials in your garden can give them a whole new meaning and outlook on recycling.
You can eliminate water waste in your garden by reusing half gallon plastic containers. Cut approximately 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) off the bottom of the containers and bury the necks upwards into the soil by annual plants and fill it with water until it overflows. This will help preserve the moisture in the soil without over feeding the plant and will in turn eliminate water waste.
Also, you can recycle and reuse cardboard or newspaper in your garden to prevent weed growth and soil moisture by mulching your garden pathways with pieces of cardboard or layers of newspaper. Cover the cardboard or newspaper with grass clippings, leaves or store bought mulch for a natural look.
Another idea is to help birds build nests out of old twine, pet hair or human hair by removing the hair from brushes. Place these items on top of shrubs or in trees. The birds will take what they can use and it will be fun for your child to see the birds picking up these reused items and using them to build their homes.

Plant an Edible Tree. There are plenty of food producing trees to choose from. You can choose a tree that produces an alkaline or acidic fruit or a tree that produces nuts. Research edible tree types and make a list of the trees that are best for your location climate and soil conditions. Once your list is complete let your child choose from your list which tree to plant. You may even choose to plant a variety of trees. This is a really fun activity because the tree will continue to flourish and give back each year along with assisting in the prevention of global warming and reducing carbon in the air.

Plant a Row to Feed the Hungry. Our economy is currently in a recession and many people have been laid off and are now struggling. By planting an extra row of vegetables in your garden for donation, you can help out the less fortunate in your local community. Explaining to your kids that you are helping others and allowing them to help with every stage, choosing what to grow, planting, weeding, harvesting and volunteering to distribute the food to your local food shelf can be very fulfilling for them. This selfless experience can give them a better sense of the value of food and can introduce them to bigger world issues, like hunger.

Children learn by example so when you choose to live a greener lifestyle, your transformation can open your child’s eyes and give them a new view of the world we live in today. By teaching your child environmentally friendly habits, and their responsibility in preserving the environment, you will instill a sense of green living that will follow them into adulthood. Kids are our world’s future, so teach them well.

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