Teach Your Kids Patience with Gardening
According to the American Horticulture Society, kids don’t just learn that lettuce doesn’t come shrink wrapped from a factory, they also pick up everything from social interaction skills to a sense of responsibility; from more finely honed creativity to the concept of patience. OK maybe not patience, but delayed gratification.
Studies also show spending time outdoors is necessary to a child’s development, and is especially beneficial to girls. A University of Illinois study found that girls exposed to green settings are better able to handle peer pressure, sexual pressure and other challenging situations, as well as perform better in school. Researchers have also found that ADD symptoms in children are relieved after contact with nature. Greenery in a child’s everyday environment-even views of green through a window-reduce ADD symptoms. It’s important for children to connect with nature and with green spaces in order to understand why it’s valuable to protect it. (Excerpted from Green Myths)
While you’re planning your garden this spring, here are some tips to get the kids interested in helping…read more Also, you might like to share tips with a new yahoo group “Gardening in Japan”. To join, see URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Gardening_in_Japan
More gardening resources:
Aggie-horticulture – is based in Texas but the children’s pages have good ideas which can be adapted to our plant palette. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu
EDUCATION IN JAPAN COMMUNITY Blog 