I've been wanting the kids to each have their own little planting bed in the backyard....something they were responsible for.... a place they could plant whatever they wanted. For Mother's Day, Zac asked me if there were any projects around the house I wanted to have done. I chose the kids' garden beds. After church we took the kids to pick out their plants. We told them they could pick anything they wanted to grow. Kian was disappointed to learn that neither pancakes nor goldfish crackers grew on plants. He settled for strawberries, cantaloupe, and gourds. :) I hope I never forget his little face looking up at me asking, "Mama, do pampakes grow on plants?".
We came home, and in our 100+ degree heat, my dear husband built three little planting beds. He teased me for being a slave driver. The kids played in the sheep trough while he built them, but then Kian helped smooth the dirt into the beds, and Logan and Felicity gathered bunny fertilizer. Then they arranged their beds just how they wanted and planted away. Lastly we made little name signs for them to add to their beds. When I talked to my Papa tonight and told him about our day, he said, "you're going to make farmers out of them all"!
I hope so.
What a wonderful way to help your children connect to nature and God's living creation. I'll certainly be borrowing this idea. Thanks
ReplyDeleteLast summer, after baby boy #3 joined us, I read Little Men by Louisa May Alcott and loved how she had each of the boys have their own plot. She used it not only to teach them about loving and tending the ground, but also about tending their own hearts. I can't remember it exactly, but I was quite inspired. This is definitely a project I want to do in our new yard next summer! I love the name signs and the blue wood!
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