It’s planting month at Postconsumers, and we’re focusing our content on gardening advice that may not be so common. We always like to talk about ways to instill postconsumer and eco-friendly values in children. Gardening season is no exception – and neither is simply using indoor plants to teach your child about the earth (as opposed to the world!). What can you teach your kids with the use of green growing? Here are our favorite lessons.
Teach Your Kids That Food is Difficult to Obtain and Has a Source
One of the largest “food” issues in America today is simply that food isn’t thought of as food. It’s a non-organic matter that you buy, packaged, in a store. That’s even true for many fruits and vegetables. When you garden with your child, your child learns about the source of food and thinks about it more critically. Your child also then understands how much work goes into food, which means that he or she will be more open to teach about another American embarrassment – the amount of food waste. This lesson can be done inside as well with potted tomato plants or herbs!
Teach Your Kids to Enjoy Being Outside
Unfortunately, this one only works with outdoor gardens (though there are plenty of shared urban gardens if you live in a city). Every year, fewer and fewer activities that kids partake in are focused on getting them outdoors. Gardening, however, is an outdoor activity that you can share and your kid can love. You may be surprised how, once you pry them away from the video game, your child loves the activity of growing food and finds a love of the outdoors with it.
Teach Your Kids About Healthy Alternatives
We’re not just talking about healthy alternatives to food – we’re also talking about teaching your child the medicinal value of plants and when they can help out. We have some favorite medicinal plants that we like to keep in the house. A great place to start is with an indoor pot garden of herbs and flowers that your kid can have “fun” with as they use them for daily minor ailments.
Teach Your Kids the Value of Water
Much like food, water is something that many kids don’t grow up understanding the organic value of these days. But planting and gardening can teach them that nothing grows or lives unless you water it. That then opens the door for a conversation about the current state of water in the world and why it’s important not to waste it.
Teach Your Kids That Not Everything Has a Chip
This one may seem silly, but you might be surprised how little understanding the average kid has these days about the makeup of things that don’t include wires and chips. This is a great opportunity to help teach them about the actual biology of the world. And we all know that nothing teaches biology better than being right there in the thick of it.
There are so many benefits to gardening, and starting early leaves a great opportunity to not only educate but also instill life-long values in your kids. Find some time and grow something today.
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Related Information
Best Medicinal Plants for Your Bathroom
Best Plants to Give as Holiday Gifts
Photo Credit: United Nations Photo via Flickr
