“Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your teacher.”
-William Wordsworth
Gardening is a hobby for many. Kids are born nature-lovers and getting their hands dirty comes easy to them…sometimes too easy and albeit at inconvenient times. However, the next time you are planting in your garden, pulling weeds, watering plants, or trimming bushes, encourage your kids to join you. You may be surprised at just how important gardening is to children’s overall development.
*Helps with impulse control since things don’t always work out a planned
*Provides quiet mental space to be with one’s own thoughts
*Protected physical space
*Cultivates imagination and creativity
*Presence of calm
*Daydreaming allowed
*Encourages the spirit of flow
*Develops a sense of purpose and an identity
*Increases self-confidence and self-worth
*Understands the cyclical nature of life
*Develops an attitude of caring and nurturing
*Strengthens social interactions
*Provides motivation
*Gives a hands-on approach to learning integrating motor, sensory, emotional and cognitive development
“Just as in bringing up children, in the garden we are never fully in control. Beyond providing the conditions for growth, there is only so much a gardener can do; the rest is down to the life force of plants, and they will grow in their own time and in their own way” (31).
So what are you waiting for?! Get planting!!
The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature, by Sue Stuart-Smith
the Essentialist Family 