Benefits of gardening with kids
how does gardening help a child's development,
what is the science of growing,
some interesting places to visit in London and more.
Spring has finally arrived and with it the opportunities for kids to plant and grow.
Planting and growing is a fun and relaxing way for kids to get in touch with nature, and learn about different types of plants, and the science of growing and it also has plenty of health benefits for children.
Studies show that being in the garden and in nature is good for the brain and reduces anxiety in children. Other studies have also indicated that children who participate in gardening activities score higher in science achievements than those who do not.
There are many things that children can learn from planting and tending to a garden.
For example, younger children can learn about the life cycle of a plant. They can grow their own plants or flowers. This activity can prompt questions such as: Why do flowers need the sun? How do flowers get water? Why do flowers die? They can also learn about the different parts of flowers.
You don’t need a garden or a lot of space to grow plants. Some of them only need a small space literally for example a small pot on the windowsill.
Children usually enjoy growing very simple plants such as cress, beans, sunflowers etc.
You can buy a small transparent plastic cup for this from most supermarkets. The transparent plastic cup may be better for this activity as it will be easier for the children to observe how the flower sprouts and grows. Some supermarkets also sell small bags of soil and of course various packets of seeds.
Once the children had planted a flower they start a plant diary, draw pictures, and labels and write captions with their observations.
Finally, if they were planting cress they can also taste it or make a cress and egg or cheese sandwiches with it.
Older children can learn about the different types of plants. They can learn about growing vegetables such as potatoes and carrots, and fruit such as apples and oranges, their similarities and differences, which ones grow from seeds and which ones from bulbs etc. Children can also help adults grow and tend to a herb garden.
Older children can learn about the science of how plants grow, live and how they convert light into energy, a process called photosynthesis.
During the day plants are exposed to the sunlight and that’s when the process of Photosynthesis is occurring. Photosynthesis takes in carbon dioxide and produces oxygen. If there weren't any plants there wouldn’t be any oxygen and we wouldn’t be able to breath and live.
Most of the Earth’s oxygen comes from the oceans. This is because there is more sea than land on our planet and it comes from tiny ocean plants – called phytoplankton – that live near the water's surface and drift with the currents.
Some of the places to visit in London:
To see ‘The giant sequoia’, the world's arguably largest living organism on land visit Natural History Museum:
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/giant-sequoia-slice.html
For London’s best garden centres and plant shops visit:https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/londons-best-garden-centres-and-plant-shops
For Kids gardening club in London visit:https://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/young-gardeners-club/
For visit to the famous Kew Gardens please see this link:https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens?gclid=CjwKCAjwzPXlBRAjEiwAj_XTEd3ZCnIsfMMkeDiJkTTkusv8nEzpODANfUzYjyLEntIfcU1nOVgVABoC2pIQAvD_BwE
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