Benefits of Gardening With Kids Equals Fit Kids Plus Better Grades

Benefits of Gardening With Kids Equals Fit Kids Plus Better Grades
By Roxanne N Kim-Perez

Gardening with kids is a great outdoor activity that allows the whole family to participate. From selecting your vegetables and flowers, preparing the earth and planting and harvesting, gardening with kids can be a wonderful way to spend quality time with your children and is a healthy hobby all can enjoy. Working in the garden, children learn to work together and share, and helps a child build all senses.

These days, kids spend more time sitting in front of their computers and TV than playing outdoors. According to a study by the California Department of Education, kids' fitness levels may affect their performance in school. Study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the same results on academic performance. The study found that increased amounts of physical fitness translated into higher academic achievement. The benefits were most evident in math scores. They also found that girls at a higher fitness level had better achievement than boys.

Do your children consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day? We've known for years that fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that keep us healthy. According to nationwide nutrition survey research, daily consumption of fruits and vegetables decrease risk of stroke, cancer, and heart disease; improve memory and lower blood sugar levels. So why not try?

Benefits of gardening with your children:

• Social and Life Skills



• Science



• Relaxation



• Environmental Awareness


• Quality time with family

Here are some tips for gardening with your children:

• Study what kind of climate you have before you start. Once you know your zone, you can find out what plants to select.



• Designate a place where your child will be gardening.



• Teach them about the importance of quality soil and soil preparation.



• Before starting a garden with your children, the first thing you should do is remove any large debris, rocks, and branches.



• Let the kids lay out the shape of the garden or draw on paper first.



• Ask your kids what kind of plants, vegetables or flowers they like to plant and let your kids pick them out.



• Explain what will work well in your garden and what won't. If planning vegetable gardens, show row spacing, and distance between plants.



• Let them help in the selection of seeds and blossoming plants at the nursery. Let your child do the money calculations.



• Depending on your kid's age, let him/she dig, weed, or water. This is a great way for your child to explore.



• Get them their own gardening tools. Nothing will motivate your little gardener more than having their own little shovel, gardening gloves, watering pail, and colored rubber boots.



• Plant some quick growers to keep the child's interest or purchase plants from garden center


• Watch plants grow and enjoy time together in nurturing nature.

Gardening with children can benefit both children and adults and it's all about having fun and learning. Gardening and nature are great stress relievers, enhance the environment, develop individuals, and build communities.

Roxanne (Roxy) Kim-Perez is a professional landscape designer providing landscape design service in and around San Diego. Her design firm http://www.forget-me-notlandscapedesign.com is a landscape design company that specializes in modern residential landscape designs with emphasis on energy efficient, low maintenance and comfortable designs for Southern California home owners.

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