Gardening a great summer activity for kids

The garden can be an incredible place of adventure for children — a place where they can play and learn among flowers, vegetables, butterflies, birds and bugs. Here are some fun and easy ways to garden with children this summer.

• Grow some vegetables and teach children about the different parts of plants. Plant lettuce and eat leaves; grow radishes and carrots and eat roots; plant tomatoes and eat fruit; and munch on seeds while eating peas right out of the pod. Eating broccoli and cauliflower may be more fun when they learn they are eating flowers!

• Teach children about butterflies. Butterflies use their long tongues to drink nectar from flowers. Research nectar-rich flowers that are butterfly favorites. Purchase a large terra cotta pot and have children paint it their favorite bright color. When that paint is dry, paint some colorful butterflies. Fill the pot with potting mix and plant those butterfly-attracting flowers like cosmos, lantana, marigolds, pentas and zinnias.

Or plant a special butterfly garden filled with butterfly-loving perennials. Yarrow, asters, coneflowers, gayfeather and black-eyed Susans are good choices. Include a large flat rock where butterflies can sit and warm their wings in the morning.

Butterflies also need host plants to lay their eggs. Caterpillars are picky eaters. Monarchs must have members of the milkweed family. Black swallowtails prefer members of the parsley family. Common checkered skippers look for plants in the mallow family.

• Teach the differences between butterflies and moths. Butterflies fly in the day; moths fly at night. They body of a butterfly is thin and smooth; a moth's body is thick and fuzzy. Butterflies are generally colorful; moths are dull. When they are resting, a butterfly holds her wings up; a moth holds his wings down against his body.

• Grow pasta sauce. Children love growing the sauce for their spaghetti. In a very large pot, plant a patio tomato plant, a pepper plant, oregano and basil. Just make sure to give the tomato and pepper plenty of room in the pot.

Children can use Popsicle sticks to make plant markers to label the plants. Give them the responsibility for keeping their plants watered and the pot free of weeds. They will be rewarded in late summer when they harvest the ingredients for dinner.

• Plant touchable plants and encourage children to touch them. Often told not to touch, children appreciate plants they can't resist touching like lamb's ear. It's soft, fuzzy foliage is fascinating. Sedum have plump, smooth leaves that are fun to squeeze; the buds of balloon flowers feel like balloons filled with air until they pop open into a beautiful blue flower.

Fragrant plants encourage touching too. Lavender, rosemary and many other herbs release oils as they are rubbed. And basil … who can resist stroking basil?

• Plant a tree to celebrate summer. Make sure children understand the value of trees. Trees remove carbon dioxide from and add oxygen to the atmosphere. The more trees we plant, the healthier our air will be for us to breathe. Let children help choose the tree and then plant, water and mulch the tree together.

• Teach your children generosity and caring for others. Plant an extra plant or row of each vegetable in your garden and donate the extra produce to the local food pantry. Or cut some flowers from your garden, arrange them in a vase, and take them to a friend or neighbor who needs some cheering up. Zinnias, cosmos, yarrow, alliums, coneflowers, dianthus, dahlias and lady's mantle are a few of the many flowers ideal for arrangements.

• Check out your favorite local garden center for children's classes. Many of them have classes planned especially for children on a variety of gardening topics. For a small fee, garden center staffers share their expertise and love of gardening.

Include children in your gardening activities this summer and encourage their appreciation of the natural world. I can't think of a better summer vacation, can you?

• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.