Is it dirt, that grimy stuff beneath your fingernails, or earth, the life-sustaining material after which our planet is named? Teach your children to appreciate this basic part of our world by starting a container garden.

 

by Ruth A. Wilson, Ph.D.

Most children enjoy making mud pies—until they’re told that soil is “dirty.” Yet soil can be cleaner than the kitchen sink. Yes, soil might be messy, but it isn’t dirty in the sense of being filthy or unclean.

Soil is, in fact, a critical component in the food production process. Plants—the source of fruits, vegetables, and grains—need soil to grow. Even the food we get from animals (milk, meat, eggs, etc.) is directly related to soil, as these animals need plants to live. So why not help your child appreciate the value and sweetness of soil? Doing a little container gardening is a good place to start.

There are a number of reasons why container gardens work well with children. First of all, containers can be used both indoors and outside. Containers are also more manageable than other types of gardens and provide children with their own personal gardening space.

Picking a container

Planting in containers invites creativity, starting with the container itself. Children of any age can help select interesting containers. Nontraditional containers can be used to make a “junk garden.” These containers include such things as an old boot, teapot, washtub, large coffee mug, or toy truck.

While almost any container will work, look for one that is at least a foot deep and about a foot wide so that it will have room for growing roots. You should also be able to make a hole in the bottom to allow for drainage.

Whether using a traditional or nontraditional container, your child may enjoy decorating it before adding the soil. Older children can paint designs on a clay flower pot. For an indoor container, your child may wish to add ribbon or stickers.

Getting your hands “dirty”

Container gardens draw attention to the need for soil, perhaps more so than other types of gardens. With containers, you can’t just take soil for granted. You have to fill a pot with soil before you do the planting. Some thought has to go into what type of soil will be best. It’s not a good idea to just use soil from your garden, as it usually will not drain fast enough in a container.

Purchasing and using pre-mixed potting soil is an option for container gardens. But with some potting soils, you won’t get optimal results because the thickness of some potting soils interferes with adequate airflow in containers. The soil tends to become oversaturated when wet, then dries out and turns hard. It’s much more fun to mix your own.

Although sophisticated gardeners use different recipes for mixing their own potting soil based on the types of plants they’re working with, you’ll want to keep things simple when working with your child. The process of mixing the soil will give children the opportunity to experience the feel and scent of soil, making them more likely to appreciate its value.

What to do

Start with a bucket of potting soil, a small amount of sand, and some compost. Pour the potting soil into a tub or wheelbarrow. Add a cup or so of sand per gallon of soil. Add some compost if you have it—about half as much as the soil. Don’t worry about exact amounts.

After the materials are poured together, have your child put on some gardening gloves and start mixing. If you don’t have gardening gloves, that’s okay, too, as the soil will not hurt your child’s hands.

Don’t rush this part of container gardening. Give your child lots of time to just experience the texture and smell of the soil.

Once the ingredients are well mixed, fill a container with the soil up to one inch from the top. Now, you’re ready to add a seedling (small plant). Growing vegetables is fun. So are flowers.

Before planting the seedling, have your child look closely at the roots. If you have a magnifying glass, use it to take an even closer look at the smaller parts of the roots. Call attention to the fact that the roots bring water and nutrients from the soil to the rest of the plant.

Then gently plant and water the seedling. Now you’re ready to watch it grow.

Caring for your potted plant

Container gardens require more watering than other types of gardens, but this may be an advantage when working with a child. Most children love to water plants! They love the feel of water and are fascinated by how water works. Help your child notice that when water is sprayed on leaves, it usually rolls right off, but when sprayed on soil, it tends to sink in.

Children also enjoy the nurturing aspect of watering plants. They like being able to take care of other living things, and watering plants is within the range of what they can do on their own. Careful watering is important with container gardening. Soggy soil is not good for plants. If your child tends to over-water, you can always give him a spray bottle to use instead of a bucket or watering can.

The best gardening experiences when parenting children are ones that allow them to become fully engaged, rather than simply observers. Full engagement is sometimes messy, but as a bumper sticker once proclaimed, “Play is so clean, it’s a dirty shame.” Mixing potting soil is one way to help your child learn about the sweetness of soil and to appreciate the difference between soil and dirt.

Good “dirty” books

To help your child learn more about the value of soil, you might share a nonfiction children’s book. Here are three books generally available through your public library.

●  Dirt:  The Scoop On Soil, by Natalie M. Rosinsky and Sheree Boyd. This book explains soil’s overall importance and includes some great simple experiments with soil that you and your child can try out together. Ages 4-8.

●  Dirt, by Steve Tomecek. A friendly mole takes children on a tour of his garden, and in the process introduces them to the formation and importance. The book features colorful artwork and simple but scientifically accurate text. Ages 4-8.

●  A Handful of Dirt, by Raymond Bial. In addition to informative text and amazing photos that describe and illustrate some of soil’s basic components, this book by an award-winning photo-essayist also includes simple instructions for creating a home compost pile. Ages 9-12.

 

Dr. Ruth Wilson is an educational consultant and curriculum writer. Her primary areas of expertise are early childhood environmental education and peace education.

© Photo by Nagy-bagoly Ilona | Dreamstime.com

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Inspire Your Kids to Cook

 

by Christina DiMartino

 

Your kids—boys and girls alike—express a desire to cook from a very early age, likely without your even realizing it. They make mud pies in the sandbox, play with child-sized cooking sets, and organize kitchens in doll houses or play areas, and they probably inquire about what you’re cooking from the time they begin to communicate.

 

Kids Cooking Activities offers up reasons why you should encourage cooking activities with your kids. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com)

 

* Cooking with your children helps them to learn about nutrition and healthy eating. 

* Cooking in the kitchen will give children a boost of self confidence. They are accomplishing a task, learning something important, and contributing to the family.

* Taking time to cook with your kids will give them lasting memories. They will pass the traditions on when they are grown and have their own families.

* In the enthusiasm of creating something themselves, your children will be more likely to eat what they had a hand in making.

* Kids learn real lessons in science, language, math, and creativity in the kitchen. Cooking will help reinforce all these subjects.

* Cooking is a great way to learn life skills. This is especially helpful when children are older and more independent. They won't have to rely on fast food and junk food to sustain them.

* Working together in the kitchen teaches your child teamwork.

* Cooking teaches children planning and making choices skills.

* Kids practice creativity and imagination in the kitchen. Cooking activities are a great way for kids to express themselves and enjoy their creations.  

 

It may take longer to get the meal or snack done, but the moments with your children will be priceless. Remember to have patience. Don't worry about flour on the floor or spilled milk.

 

A role model for cooking with kids

 

Cooking With Kids, a series of 90-second videos, is hosted by James Beard Award-winning chef John Sarich. Development of the program was inspired by the reality of childhood obesity, anorexia and other eating disorders, Type II Diabetes, and low bone density, which have all become national issues. Cooking With Kids encourages parents and children to spend time in the kitchen together preparing healthy meals in ways that improve communication and help children develop healthy nutritional habits. (Set up link at underlining to http://www.cookingwithkids.org/fact.html)

 

The program shows how easy it is for kids to prepare snacks and meals that taste good and that are good for them. It uses the five food groups as a platform for nutrition messages. You can watch the videos with your children through the website, then print out the recipe and go try it yourselves.

 

The recipes that Sarich prepares with kids on the segments teach them which categories on the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Pyramid are included in the recipe. He explains how vegetable burritos, for example, include foods that have protein, fiber and dairy, and that the burritos are low in fat.

 

Good cooking habits

 

Spatulatta provides 350 step-by-step videos that teach kids good cooking habits, and offers advice for moms, dads and kids on numerous issues related to cooking with kids. It emphasizes topics like teaching kids to wash their hands properly before handling food.  (Set up link at underlining to http://www.spatulatta.com)

 

When it comes to working in the kitchen, you know your children. You know what abilities they have and how fine their motor skills are. Some children are ready to handle a certain kitchen utensil or work at the stove earlier than others. It’s up to you to make that determination.

 

You set the rules in your kitchen, such as you will always light the burners and oven for your children.

 

Go over the workings of every electrical appliance with your child. Explain that the beaters, for example, should be inserted into a hand mixer before the mixer is plugged in.

 

Safety and courtesy are behaviors that need to be re-enforced and modeled.

 

Once you've explained how to handle an item safely, try asking your child to tell you how to do it the next time the task is required when making a recipe. We all learn best when we try to teach.

 

 

CREDIT:

Christina DiMartino has been a freelance and assignment writer since 1985. She is a researcher, interviewer, writer, editor, and manuscript collaborator with a repertoire of clients from around the world.

 

 

PHOTO / ILLUSTRATION RECOMMENDATIONS:

Go to http://www.cookingwithkids.org

 

 

TEASER: 

Cooking with your kids does much more than produce tasty treats! It teaches teamwork, safety, courtesy, math, science, and more, and encourages creativity and imagination. And there are some terrific online videos that will help you get started.