Walking Therein

Gardening 101 - You *Can* Teach Your Children!!

1. Planning Your Garden
    Make a list of the different plants you would like to plant according to the different vegetables you enjoy and how much you want to harvest. Your children - especially the Littles will probably love brainstorming on this one!
    This is a great opportunity to spend some time outside! Look at your land and see where would be a good location to plant where there is adequate sunlight and access to water. Talk to your chidlren and let them give ideas why this is a good location or if there may be another spot.

2. Order/Purchase Your Seeds
    With list in hand, call and order your seeds or go pick some up at your local store.  This is something an older child can do and practice communication skills.
    There are many places you can call and order seeds from. Most seed companies have websites you can check out. We ordered ours this year from Seeds of Change. Read about what we have done and get some links to heirloom and organic seed companies at Seeking Rest on the Homestead. You can also read about the benefits of receiving the Organic Gardening online newsletter.

Some I have found are:
Unlikely Homesteader
I Am Definitely Not A Farmer
    Of course, you can visit *our* Homestead blog, too:
Seeking Rest on the Homestead

3. Plotting PlantTimes
    Different seeds need to be started indoors andothers direct-seeded into your garden outside. Call your local extansion office and find out your last frost date and work backwards from there. Use a calendar to write down and keep track of when to plant certain seeds.

4. Time to plant seedlings
    Children of all ages love to work in the dirt and plant seeds. Of course, my Littles loved filling our seed trays with dirt. I just put down some newspaper, put the potting soil in the middle of the table and gave them each access to a tray and a spoon. I had 5 children, 22m, 3 1/2, 7, 9 and 13 filling trays, having fun!
    Have a reading child read how many seeds and such to put and how to plant them. Help the Littles and they really can't do it wrong.

1. Littles can match seed packets and separate them into baggies.
2. Study seasons - why God made created each time.
3. Science -Botany of Seed to Plant
4. Schedule - watering, sunlight, and heat lamp.
5. Measuring and graphing the garden spot, the times to plant, the days of growth to germination.
6. Determinate/Inderterminate Seeds/Plants
7. Study Different Types of Soil - Nutrents in Soil.
8. Research Companies - Pick out and order seeds from Seed Co.
9. Weeding and reasons for it.
10. Organic gardening and the use of harmful pesticides on our soil and in our foods.
11. Bible Lessons: Diligence, Bounty
12. Biblical Planting, Watering, Harvesting can be shown in a physical, tangible way.
13. Do an indoor greenhouse.

Thanks!

9:52 PM, Thursday, March 8, 2007 .. Posted by TrickyNikki

Thanks for adding me to your friends list! I am a big fan of Jocelyn and Amanda's blogs. They always post such neat stuff!

I have been hoping my Mom starts her garden soon. Last year she started it inside about this time in March. But I don't know if she will this year.

~Nikki

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8:17 AM, Saturday, March 10, 2007 .. Posted by shine29

Oh, I want a garden so bad! I can probably garden with my cousin again, but I just want my own at my own house so it's not so hard to work in it and harvest! Maybe something will come up and we can move.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

9:22 PM, Tuesday, March 13, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

I just found your sight through Canada girl, and I wanted to say, "Thank you for some great ideas for science, etc.!!!!"

I am on my way to being mommy to 7, my oldest being 9, I am quite stretched when it comes to homeschooling. Your ideas are fantastic! I will be back to visit, you can count on that!

Blessing!
Heather
http://runningtothecross.blogspot.com/

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8:29 AM, Wednesday, March 14, 2007 .. Posted by JenIG

this is a great post! our kids have learned so much about life and about their Creator with 'farm life'. I think they have learned more this last year about life (and death) than they have in their whole schooling careers.
Education was most definitely meant to be "lived"

Hi there!

3:20 PM, Wednesday, March 14, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Last summer I had thoughts very similar to this as well-and one extra thing I thought about was doing a water garden. Very simply-get a bucket-the larger the better but anything would work. Then research with your children water-loving plants and get working. I plan to do this with my three year old this year.

Great ideas! We are gardeners over here, so they learn young! Love, Rebecca from www.zeahrenaissance.blogspot.com

Where's the shovel?

10:58 PM, Thursday, March 15, 2007 .. Posted by Keri

I am SO inspired!
I have four...yes, four tomato plants.
I am going to expand my garden!

Thanks for sharing.......

10:59 PM, Thursday, March 15, 2007 .. Posted by Bearingfruit

we enjoy your blog so much! It is so refreshing and encouraging. We especially enjoyed the post on gardening. So much that I mentioned it on my blog and placed a link. Blessing to You!

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9:32 PM, Friday, March 16, 2007 .. Posted by Titus2woman

I REALLY needed this! I'm DYING to start a garden here and have just never done it~*THANK YOU!* for such timely encouragement! (((((HUGS))))) sandi