Enjoying Colorado Outdoor Spaces: Gardening with Your Kids

Enjoying Colorado Outdoor Spaces: Gardening with Your Kids

Spring cleaning, spring fever, spring break. Each of these terms makes us feel excited and refreshed and ready to get outdoors for this fantastic spring season!

Kids enjoy the warmer temperatures, longer days and fresh air as much as adults do. Kids have just finished or are just finishing up the school year and trying to keep busy throughout the summer months.

Here are a few ideas to keep your kids busy while enjoying your outdoor space at home.

Gardening

Kids enjoy eating. And they enjoy it even more when they help grow the food and herbs they eat. Gardening with kids is a great way to enjoy your outdoor space and a great opportunity to teach your kids about taking care of the Earth and growing your own food. Turn your kids into assistant gardeners this season!

Create a Children’s Garden

Let kids help plan it and take care of it. Make sure pots or flowerbeds are short enough for young kids to get to. Grow simple things that don’t take long to see growth, such as mint, basil, cilantro, beans, cucumbers and zucchini. Creating a sensory experience for children in the garden will produce the most interest. Appeal to all senses when selecting your plants. Lemon verbena, pineapple sage and chocolate mint are all great choices.

Children can learn to be lifelong gardeners, especially if their first experience in the garden is fun and successful. Place small benches or chairs in the garden so kids can help and also enjoy sitting in the garden, talking nicely to the plants they are growing. Growing a successful garden can also be a great confidence builder for children.

Grow Sunflowers

Growing sunflowers is a lot of fun! Kids can watch the flowers grow from really small to REALLY tall and bright, and then they can eat the seeds or feed them to the birds when it is time. Or create art with the seeds!

Guacamole Garden

Next time you use an avocado, save the seed and give it to your kids to grow. They will have fun watching it sprout and planting it in dirt and watching it grow. Colorado is not ideal for growing avocados so you can grow supplemental ingredients for your guacamole such as garlic, cilantro and tomatoes.
 

Grow Gourds

Gourds grow in funny shapes, so watching them grow can provide chuckles for the whole family. They are oddly shaped and can be used for art projects later in the year. Paint them for fun or for Halloween, make them into birdhouses or maracas!

Plant Succulents

These plants are very easy to grow and require almost no water. The traditional "hens and chickens" sprouts new growth every time part of the plant is broken off and left in damp soil. This is a great way to teach kids that not all plant growth comes from seeds. Succulents are a very easy variety to grow especially in relatively dry states like Colorado.

Grow Herbs

Herbs grow relatively quickly and are very easy to maintain. The fragrant leaves can be added to many dishes to make them better; you can even add them to salad, lemonade and ice cream for added flavor. Herbs can be planted in pots or containers so feel free to plant several different types. A few to try: mint, basil, pineapple sage and lemon verbena.

There are so many outdoor activities to enjoy with your children, no matter their age. If you run out of ideas, ask them what they would like to do. Chances are they will want to get outside and play!