I like vegetables.

Somehow, miraculously my mom managed to make the impossible happen: I grew up to be a person who enjoys eating green things more than brown, greasy fried stuff.

How did she do it, my mom-friends have asked me. After thinking about it for a few days, I suddenly recalled an incredibly visceral memory from my childhood:

There was a snap-crack-pop sound that happened NOT with the infamous cereal, but with the simultaneous sweet and grassy taste bursting in my mouth from a sugar snap pea that I had snuck off the vine in my backyard. I thought I might get into trouble for taking it, but my mom just grinned at me and said: it’s good, isn’t it?

It was really, REALLY good. To this day a pile of uncooked sugar snap peas is my ultimate favorite snack.

But I think the key to this whole thing was the fact that my introduction to veggies was in our garden. I watched and helped my parents put things in the ground, things that magically became other, larger, yummier things, and there was no way I was not going to try or enjoy something whose very existence I had participated in creating!

Watching something develop from a seed is not only fun to watch and track, it helps kids connect to the earth. Suddenly their food comes from the ground, not the big fluorescent lit grocery aisle. If you understand that the tree you see was once a teeny tiny seedling, it commands awe and respect, instead of being just another fixture in the lawn. Not only is gardening a great way to get exercise and learn about the magic of growing, a garden is a fantastic place for children to develop attitudes & ideas about nature which – and I am the proof – will be carried into adulthood.

But it can be more than just the planting and eating. Organic gardens are all about the five senses. Petals and leaves are all different shapes and colors, but beyond sight – strawberries taste differently than peas, and soil and grass can smell just as good as flowers and herbs! When they are outside the sun is on their skin, vines and leaves are waving in the breeze, birds are singing, water is trickling and every part of them is engaged.

Plants, animals and even us human beings all depend on one another for survival – and gardening with kids is a perfect, fun, quality time spent teaching situation to ingrain that planet-loving message into your children. While you are watering the garden you can also discuss the importance of rain and its effect on the plants, or the brightly colored flying insects that might stop by to help pollinate, such as bees and butterflies. Every kid is fascinated by dirt and mud since it looks so fun to play in – and gardening is all about playing with dirt.  But once their hands are dirty digging they may be surprised (and excited) to learn from you that dirt (now we can introduce the word soil) is the basis for nearly all growing things. Soil is also filled with many living creatures responsible for keeping it healthy, like the earthworm. My mom let me (gently and compassionately) dig around in search of earthworms which I thought was incredible! Something we adults sort of gloss over as a fact of life can be re-invigorated to be perceived as miraculous as it actually is when you share with a five year old that earthworms create tunnels in the soil, helping with air and water, and also eat from decaying plant materials, which pass through and fertilize the soil.

If you live in a city like I do, you can still find a way to grow things with your kid in your home: all it takes is a will and windowsill… and you too can grow an adult who likes & respects her greens.

bunny and blooms organic gardening gift

With that gardening memory in mind I am suggesting this incredible Good Gifts Naturally Gift called Bunny & Blooms. It would be perfect for Easter, but also just as an all around it’s-spring- let’s-get-inspired gift, and a great adult child quality time activity initiator:

Bunny & Blooms

Cuddly and cute, this super soft Gund bunny will arrive with a galvanized tin bucket filled with everything your recipient needs to plant beautiful and fragrant lavender. What a perfect gift for any garden lover. This gift comes wrapped in cello and tied with a personalized ribbon expressing your sentiment.

For more information on gardening with kids, you can click here to see our past blog series Growing Green Kids, full of great ideas to get you excited, or we suggest you visit the fabulous site Kidsgardening.org for more inspiration.