I recommend only doing what they are interested in as far as gardening goes, and if they lose interest, let it go instead of pushing it.Ĭhildren also might have an interest in cooking/eating what is grown in a vegetable garden. :) I'm warning you right now that forcing your children to garden will ensure they have no interest in it.

After all, that's more 'work.' Simply going on a walk and practicing identifying plants is more 'fun.' And kids love being experts on stuff. Which doesn't necessarily mean kids love gardening. It's definitely fun and beneficial for kids. If you want your child to have this kind of childhood, you yourself have to know nature - or have parents or in-laws who know nature. My grandmother could also identify any bird song or bird call. My grandfather and grandmother were nature experts, and I cherished walks with them on which they could magically (it seemed to me) identify every single flower and tree and bush we came across. LOL So this requires a little studying and knowledge on your part. The next step, and really the most important step, is to walk with your child around the neighborhood and point out and identify the flowers and plants and trees yourself. If you want your child to go around being able to identify flowers like phlox and bearded iris, this is a good start.

So you have terms like zinnia, tiger lily, and delphinium littering the pages. Although the text is extremely simple, We have some red flowers, and orange flowers, the names of all the flowers are listed (on the flower, or on the Popsicle stick that marks each plot) in every single picture.

This book is a good book if you want to teach a child about plant names. In the fall we buy some bulbs and plant them in the ground. Each letter in the word 'rainbow' is a different color.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert