Thursday, April 10, 2008 - From the Archives- Gardening 101 - You *Can* Teach Your Children!!

    It's March!! Can you believe it?? The first 'official' Day of Spring is almost here! Now is the perfect time to start a little garden with your children! If you haven't already, consider doing some type of garden. You can do a little one outside, a huge one outside or even a little container-type one inside. 

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.

    The *best* part about gardening is all of the lessons from the Bible you can incorporate!! Search online for bible references to planting, harvesting, and the like and read your children a story each day, before you start. *Always* incorporate God's Word into your lessons.  It makes your lessons more real and makes God more real!

Be Blessed!!

Thursday, April 10, 2008 - Oh yeah--

Thursday, April 10, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Thursday, April 10, 2008 - Untitled Comment