Getting kids to put down their video games in favor of gardening
Children always have reveled in the charisma of the great outdoors. For most, their merrymaking involves some combination of running, jumping and laughing.
Tending to the tomatoes rarely makes the list.
"There is a real disconnect among children about where their food comes from," says Mike Metallo, president of the National Gardening Association, South Burlington, Vt. "Urbanization has separated young people from the growing process."
And in today's indoor-centric environment, replete with video games, Facebook and hundreds of television channels, kids are spending less time outside than ever before. Experts say that adults can lead by example, especially when it comes to gardening. When parents, guardians, caregivers and teachers take the initiative to start gardens and get their kids involved, it's easy to turn their attentions from Wii to weeding.
Metallo says that the rise of school-gardening programs is especially important in getting kids to rediscover the magic of soil.
"These programs effectively address childhood obesity by educating youth about the benefits of exercise, eating nutritious fruits and vegetables and making good personal health choices," Metallo says.
At the start of 2010, the National Wildlife Federation, Reston, Va., launched a campaign, "Be Out There Resolution to Know, Go and Grow," to reconnect kids with nature, specifically gardening. Parents pledge to educate themselves about the benefits of gardening for kids, to take children outdoors for gardening projects and to invite other kids to join them.
"We want [parents] to know and understand the importance of outdoor time," says Kevin Coyle, the National Wildlife Federation's vice president of education.
According to Coyle, the benefits for children who are encouraged to interact with nature in an outdoor setting far exceed simply battling obesity.
Other benefits include better eyesight, increased classroom preparedness and lower levels of stress and depression.
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Four ideas</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Getting a child excited about gardening takes one good project. Try one of these four innovative ideas, courtesy of Cheryl Dorschner, National Gardening Association, South Burlington, Vt.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>1. Make and bake a compost torte</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Making compost is like baking dessert for your garden. Start at the bottom with fresh green plant material, then add a layer of old brown plant material such as leaves or straw. Keep layering materials and every 10 inches or so, frost it with a cup of limestone and an inch of well-aged manure. When the pile is four feet high, glaze it with a sprinkling of water. Say magic words over the top. Water and turn it every week, and it will heat up and become as rich as brownies by fall.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>2. Race for the sky with a half-barrel (or more) of vines</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Your "racecourse" for climbing plants can be twine attached to cup hooks on the side of the house, a twig trellis you've lashed together yourself or a fancy tuteur, a four-sided trellis shaped like a teepee. Mark the "course" with a marker showing inches at the bottom and after the first foot just mark feet. Choose and compare vines such as scarlet runner beans, other pole beans, small gourds, morning glories, moonflowers, love-in-a-puff or other flowering vines. On your mark, get set, plant! Jump back and see who sprouts first, who takes off and who wins. Water and fertilize for good competition.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>3. Mix up a herbal plant wash/bug spray</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Kids love squirt bottles, so they usually love the job of spraying plants. This concoction is safe for kids and helps to keep indoor and outdoor plant leaves clean and free of aphids and diseases. Use on smooth-leafed plants. Ingredients include the grated rind of one lemon, 1 cup wormwood or tansy, 1 cup lavender, 1 cup sage, 1 pint boiling water and 1 teaspoon nondetergent soap such as Castile or Murphy's Oil Soap. In a heat-resistant quart jar, mix lemon and herbs. Pour water over the mix. Let it steep until cooled to room temperature. Drain, reserving the liquid. In a plastic spray-pump bottle, dilute 1/8 cup of the herbal liquid to 2 cups water and add the teaspoon of soap. Teach your child how to safely apply the spray.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>4. Send good bugs on their way</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">It's exciting to receive a package of beneficial insects in the mail, peek into the package and release them outdoors. Lacewings are effective against aphids, mealybugs, scales and whiteflies, among others. They usually arrive in the mail as larvae and eggs. Ladybugs, one of everyone's favorite insects, devour aphids, Colorado potato beetle eggs and other pests. Both cost about $14 for 1,000 insects and come with instructions.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><i>CTW Features</i></p>