Take advantage of your kid's natural affinity for playing in the dirt by introducing them to the joys of gardening. Kids really enjoy theme gardens, especially if you let them help come up with the theme and plant selection. Theme gardening can take a child back in time to experience the foods, flowers and lifestyles of specific historical eras. Gardening is a good way for a home schooling family to have fun and get in a summer living history lesson.
Alphabet Garden
It isn't difficult to find colorful and easy to grow plants for each of the letters of the alphabet, starting with alyssum and ending with zinnias. Before you get the kids started searching for the plants on the Internet, be sure you have a large enough place to grow 26 plants!
Animal Gardens
Kids have fun being silly and what could be sillier than plants named as animals? Encourage their creativeness with plants such as tiger lily, monkey grass, elephant ears, foxglove, catmint, hen and chicks and others. Let them see how many plants they can fnd that include an animal name in the plant name.
Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes
- Jack in the Bean Stalk: beans (especially the giant varieties) are fun for kids to grow - and they grow really fast!
- Cinderella: pumpkins and gourds, especially the giant varieties.
- Lavender Blue: herbs lavender and dill.
- Mary, Mary Quite Contrary: Canterbury Bells / Bellfowers (Campanula)
- Peter Piper: peppers
- Peter, the pumpkin eater: pumpkins
Children's literature is a rich source for the detective minded child. Challenge them to find the clues to various plants in their favorite stories and nursery rhymes. Here are a few titles and the associated plants to get your child thinking:
Specific characters can be found in the garden too. Thumbelina, the 'Thumbelina' variety zinnia and 'Tom Thumb', whose name has been given to a miniature tomato.
