Page 34 - October November2020 Magwanani

A recent study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that those who are
engaged in active interaction, such as smelling and touching indoor plants, can reduce their
psychological and physiological stress. However, spending outdoors in nature is even more
powerful for restoring your sense of balance and well-being. More so, teaching children at a

young age about gardening and plants can have a life-changing and positive effect on their
lives.

Here are our top 5 out door gardening suggestions:

1. Start a kitchen-scrap garden.
Not only is it good for the planet; it teaches youngsters to
clean up the kitchen. It also teaches about where our food
comes from, and about waste. Therefore, start a wormery,
or worm farm, encouraging little ones to add the kitchen
waste to it. Do remember to teach them which items to
include, and which to exclude (such as citrus, fats, and
meat items).

2. Grow your own veggies.
Get children involved in starting to grow their own
vegetables and salad ingredients (olericulture). Not only is
this a fun activity, the reward of growing your own edibles
is priceless to children.

3. Start a dry-flower collection.
Choose a large, heavy book in which to press the owers.
Go with your little ones into the garden and let them
collect the owers they want to add to the collection.
Press each specimen between the pages, keeping the
book closed. In this way, you can teach children about the
various plants and how they grow. You can also use your
pressed owers in making many craft creations and gifts

4. Grow your own plants.
If you have a greenhouse, or space in the garden where
you can place a few small pots, allow your children to
grow their own plants from cuttings. Help them with the
difcult parts such as making the cutting; but do allow
them to plant the cutting and nurture it. As their little plants
grow, so too will their smiles.
5. Give children a space to garden.

After they have grown their own plants, they will need
space to plant these out. This could be a large pot, or a
small section of the garden. Let the youngsters have fun
and decorate it with something interesting.

Gardening is a powerful activity that can change and
enhance children’s lives, and teach them from a young
age how to tend plants. It is also a great tool for you to use
to spend some quality time with them: so, go out and
garden!

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