Creating a vegetable garden will help children understand where food comes from
Helping teach children where food comes from can be as easy as creating a vegetable garden. By doing this it will allow children to get hands on experience and learn exactly how the food they eat is grown. Growing vegetables in a childcare setting can open up so many other learning opportunities and can provide children will vast amounts of learning. In today’s society, it is far to easy for children to go to the local supermarket to buy their vegetables when in fact growing their own is an ideal opportunity to learn exactly how this item brought in the supermarket is grown.
Children who experience growing their vegetables will have further insight into the whole growing process and will understand and have respect for nature.
Most children enjoy being outdoors enjoying the fresh air. They will spend hours digging in the soil looking for worms and using their imagination to create yummy potions. Exposing children to nature at a young age is ideal in helping them appreciate the natural world around them. As children are fans of the outdoor making a vegetable is an easy way to carrying on their enjoyment of being outdoors. Involving children, in creating the vegetable garden is a learning experience in its self, then caring and watching them grow is another. It also enables quality time with the children, helping them understand about nature and developing their self-esteem. Depending on the age of the child talk to them about what they would like to grow, listening to children’s views can help encourage participation, giving them a purpose to get involved. Planting vegetables is a good choice as these can often grow quickly and can be eaten once they have matured.
Creating a vegetable garden also opens up a sensory experience for children as they get to use their senses to investigate the smell the touch and the taste of the vegetables. Adding plants that appeal to children’s senses is a great way to encourage children to use their senses.
How to create a vegetable garden;
To create an effective vegetable garden think about the plants you are growing, there is no harm in adding herbs as well as vegetables. Having a variety of vegetables and herbs gives more scope for children to learn exactly how food is grown. Vegetables that are easy to grow are tomatoes, beetroot, carrots.
When making the vegetable garden don’t forget to involve the children in deciding what to put in the garden, Let them help add the soil and the sprinkling of the seeds. Don’t forget to think about the location of the garden and whether it will be accessible for the children. It can be a good idea to have your vegetable garden in a securely contained area, sectioned off with a picket fence and gate. There is no reason why your garden has to be in a raised flower bed, let the children use their imagination.
Here are few ideas of what you can grow in your vegetable garden at your nursery;
- Tomatoes either in grow bags or in hanging baskets
- Carrots in large plant pots
- Potatoes from seed potatoes- why not grow your potatoes in tyres
- Beetroot in large plant pots
- Strawberries
- Runner beans
Planting the plants and seeds are the fun part, again let the children decide where they would like them to go. Label the plants and seeds with visual pictures, these will help children identify what is growing. When children visit the vegetable garden they will need various tools, therefore, think how best to store this, maybe create a little potting shelf with a box for all garden tools to go in. Giving children responsibility for looking after and caring for their plants, gives them ownership, enabling them to learn about key aspects of how and where food comes from.
Why not create a vegetable garden in your outdoor area and share the photos with us. For more ideas on creating a vegetable garden visit our Pinterest board