Nurturing Nature with Kids: A Guide to Tending Your Lawn and Garden
This is a collaborative post. Thank you for supporting the posts which make this blog possible.
Any keen gardener will know that a garden can take up all of your free time. There is always something that needs to be pruned, watered, or fed, which can make looking after children and tending to a garden incompatible. However, there are ways for you to make looking after children work while looking after your young ones. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to maintain your grass and garden while keeping your children engaged and enthralled in the process.
Cultivate a green space that will be safe for children
A well-tended lawn is like a lush green carpet, inviting your children to play and explore. A garden full of hard slabs or pebbles is a disaster waiting to happen because if your children fall, it will be highly sore on their knees and hands. However, if a child falls onto grass, it won’t hurt as much. Make sure to plant plenty of grass, and remove or barricade off any garden ponds, as this is extremely dangerous for children to be around unattended.
Keep your children away from anywhere near your lawn mower. A lawn mower can be dangerous, even if it has had a lawn mower servicing recently. This also applies to any sharp tools or big wheelbarrows, especially when they are unattended.
Try to engage your children
Transform gardening chores into exciting garden games for your children that will bring them happiness. Get them little miniature forks and spades so they can help you with the weeding. Ask them to water the plants for you and let them feel as though they have some responsibility in the garden. If you teach your children these skills now, they will keep them for life and might even become keen gardeners themselves one day.
Choose child-friendly plants
Choose plants that are beautiful, safe, and suitable for curious little hands. Select child-friendly plants that won’t cause harm if touched or ingested, like a protective hedge. Consider planting colourful flowers that attract butterflies and bees, teaching your children about the wonders of pollination like an enchanting fairy tale.
Avoid prickly flowers like roses, as these can be painful if a child touches them without realizing how hurtful they will be. Softer flowers such as daffodils, daisies and forget-me-nots are a better option.
Create a children’s corner
You can designate a corner of your garden specifically for your children. You can put a little toy playhouse here for the children to hide in during the day and even have little picnics and tea parties out there. While your children are having fun, you can be getting on with some much-needed gardening, all while they are safely under your gaze.
Children can get messy, and that’s no different when they’re out in the garden, but you should try and enjoy this. Embrace the mud-streaked clothes and muddy footprints, knowing it’s a sign of a well-lived adventure. And when it’s time to clean up, involve the kids in the process, turning it into a bonding experience like a team of explorers returning from their expedition.
Teach responsible watering
As you tend to your garden, teach your children the value of water conservation. Like precious drops in a desert oasis, explain how water sustains life and why it’s essential not to waste it. Encourage them to use watering cans instead of hoses, it is much more fun for them this way anyway!
To finish up
Sometimes being a parent means giving up your much-loved hobbies and pastimes, but this is not the case regarding gardening. You can involve your children in this, teaching them valuable skills for the future while giving you a helping hand.
Leave a Reply