Five Ways for Kids to Have Fun in the Garden

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The crew at Serendipity Gardens is lucky. We have six grandchildren, five of whom live nearby. We would venture a guess that these kids do not have nature deficit disorder.

What is nature deficit disorder?

According to Wikipedia, Nature deficit disorder refers to a hypothesis by Richard Louv in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors resulting in a wide range of behavioral problems … Louv claims that causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the lure of the screen.

Nature Deficit Disorder is not a technical medical term, but many people agree with Louv’s theory. At least part of the antidote may be right in our own back yards. As parents and gardeners, we can get kids into the garden for a variety of reasons, including just playing as well as participating in structured activities.

Serendipity Gardens’ Children

Here are five ways our grandchildren have had fun in the garden since they were babies:

Events and meals in the garden

Lanterns up and away

Kids having a magical and fun moment watching a lantern rise into the sky.

When it’s warm enough, we celebrate family events such as birthdays with a meal on the patio. No strangers to picnics, these kids can make a fair mess, but who cares? A good douse from the hose after the meal is over will clean it right up. In recent months, the kids have had their own table, except for the littlest, who still sits in a high chair near her mom or dad. The conversations at that table can be quite entertaining.

Sometimes we stage bigger events in the garden, too, such as having a fire in the fire pit late one summer evening. What fun to watch the fire glow and toast marshmallows in its warmth. All this, perhaps followed by a time of letting Chinese lanterns go to float above the earth until their fuel runs out. Events like this make magical moments these children will never forget.

Child-size gardening tools and digging

Digging

Just digging is fun if you are a little kid.

Children love to help in the garden, so long as they are able to do what you ask them to. The trick is to provide tools the right size for them to use, and then to ask them to do things that are within their capability. Early on, when they are quite young, they enjoy just digging — and showing everyone the occasional earthworm they turn up in the process. Later on, digging weeds with a small shovel is great fun. They also love to water plants, though they usually manage to get wet in the process. Once again, who cares?

Traditions

Easter egg hunt 2

Are you ready to fill your bucket with Easter eggs? We are!

Easter egg hunts are a great garden tradition at our house. My daughters dye dozens of eggs with their kids, after which they all come to our house to eat a feast and then participate in an egg hunt. When we only had one grandson, it was a guys vs. girls event. Now, with five young ones, it’s their show entirely. One or two parents or grandparents hide the eggs all over the garden — in pots, under benches, balanced on the arm of the swing set — and then the kids take their buckets dedicated to the event and go hunting. It’s quite exciting! Dinner that evening is almost always egg salad sandwiches!

Trees

Nick in a tree

Sitting high in a tree is fun … it gives you a different view of the world.

When our oldest grandson was growing up, he loved to climb trees. His parents encouraged him to do so, despite my shiver of trepidation. He was an agile person and never came to any harm, despite getting quite high up. Once when visiting us, he used his tree-climbing ability to free a branch that had come loose and was caught in other branches. I am sure he would tell you that there is something quite nice about sitting high in a tree and looking out over the world.

Playground Equipment in the Garden

Three girls swinging

Swinging with cousins is always fun!

We purchased a swing set several years ago for a song at a garage sale. Just your average old-fashioned swing set, but it’s been a big hit. When the grandchildren arrive, they want to go swing immediately. They still need adult supervision, so we placed a bench and two chairs near the swing set so parents and others could sit and chat while watching the kids swing — or pushing them when needed. It’s a win for everyone concerned. It’s not directly connected to the garden, but it’s in the garden, so the chance for a teachable moment is always there.

A teachable moment can occur at any time in a setting like Serendipity Gardens. The kids observe and ask a question — and there it is. For example, one of my grandchildren once asked about poisonous plants. She gave me the opportunity to show her things like lily of the valley — and to reassure her that the plants would not hurt her so long as she did not eat them.

There are many more ways for kids to be in and enjoy the garden. What are some of the ways you help your children enjoy the outdoors?

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One thought on “Five Ways for Kids to Have Fun in the Garden”

  1. This is an excellent post and I (of course) adore seeing all these beautiful kids in your beautiful garden. They are a lucky bunch, to be sure!

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