FamilyCosm

First lady Michelle Obama planted a vegetable garden this Spring on the White House yard. This has not been done in a long duration but it is something she wanted to do with her 2 school aged daughters, Sasha and Malia. She figuredt it would be wonderfult to have such close access to fresh vegetables to eatbut she also thought it was important for her girls to learn how to take care of something. Creating a garden for children to enjoy and work on is a great gift and one that will give them special memories. There are various kinds of gardens that you can create with your kids and in a variety of sizes and locations. If you have a goodflat piece of land, you may choose to have a large vegetable garden like the Obamas. If youlive in an urban setting and just have a small space outdoors, planting flowers and vegetables in pots may be themost logical way. If you live in a severely hot or cold climate you may have a small number of plants to work on and decorate your garden more with saint statues or Virgin Mary statues. Whatever type of garden you choose, the following steps can help you begin.

Once you have decided what type of garden you wish to create with yourkidschildren, you need to pick the best location. Itneeds to get a lot of sun and not too shaded by trees or a building. The more out in the open it is, the better. If you do not have a power tiller you can rent one from any home improvement places. This will aid in getting the earth all turned up and ready. After you till the ground, use a rake to gently smooth out the area. A chicken wire fence must also be installed around the area if you are doing a vegetable one to keep unwanted animals from eating your veggies. Based on the size of the garden area, pick the amount of plants will fit and what types you would enjoy having. Involve the children in this decision making part. If you are doing flowers, have them tell you what their favorite colors are and if you are planting a vegetable garden, get their input of what type of veggies they want to grow. It is proven that if involved the a vegetable garden, kids are more likely to eat vegetables that they planted themselves. If they want to buy decorations like saint statues or Virgin Mary statues for the garden that is great as well. Once you havepurchased all of the plants, get the kids some work gloves and small shovels and have them start digging little holes to plant the seeds and/or plants. Be sure to saturate the garden with water thoroughly and water it every day. Another good project for the kids to do , especially in a vegetable garden is to create marker signs for the plants.

Creating a garden benefits children in giving them responsibility of taking care of a living thing and a sense of accomplishment in being good at it.