Making Memories with Kids: Garden Projects that Last

Author: Charlie Nardozzi

Fall reminds us of the seasonal nature of gardens. The vegetables, flowers, herbs, and fruits we nurtured all summer have rewarded us with food, color, and enjoyment, but in most parts of the country, autumn marks the beginning of the end of outdoor gardens. Hopefully, you had a successful gardening season with your child or grandchild and created some wonderful, lifelong memories. Making a special flower bouquet for mom or grandma is a fun memory, but may be fleeting. Here we offer some great garden projects that will leave a more permanent mark in the garden.

These long-lasting projects are fun for kids. Plus, they dress up and personalize your garden, creating the impression the garden isn’t just a one-year proposition but an ongoing part of your life. Here are five ideas you can do this fall to make lasting memories for your child or grandchild in the garden.

1. Personalize walkways and markers. A garden is more than just a collection of plants. It’s an expression of the gardener. Children can personalize their gardens in many ways beyond simply growing favorite vegetables and flowers. A favorite project is to create garden stepping stones and plant markers. Stepping stones are easy to make from a concrete mix; before they dry personalize them with craft items like shells, beads, or impressions of a leaf or flower or your child's hand or food print. Create homemade markers and signs for beloved plants. Invite your child to update the stones or markers periodically as he or she gets older. For an easy way to get started, check out this stepping stone kit.
2. Create animal houses or install feeding stations. Invite animals to your garden year-round by turning it into an animal-friendly habitat. Visiting creatures will intrigue your young gardeners and provide lots of teachable moments to discuss environmental issues and the importance of respecting our natural resources. You may want to attract birds by adding feeders, baths, or houses. A less common addition is to install a bat or bee house. Bats and bees are essential for keeping an ecological balance in the garden. These will be places your child can check on periodically. Here are some examples of bat houses and bee homes.
3. Build raised beds and arches. Nothing says permanence in a garden more than a structure. Raised beds, arches, and gates will last many years. In winter, a child looking at the garden and your now-snowy arch will remember the plants he or she grew last summer. That structure will excite their imagination about the possibilities for next spring. Use rot-resistant wood, such as cedar or locust, to create a simple garden arch. Hire a neighbor to make a beautiful metal arch or gate. Build a raised bed using lumber, stones, or bricks. 
4. Construct a weather station. There’s nothing like watching the weather to excite a child. Weather events such as thunderstorms, lightning flashes, blizzards, and hail storms grab kids’ interest and are great teaching tools to elaborate on gardens, soil, climate, and plants. Create a weather station that can measure wind speed, precipitation levels, humidity, and barometric pressure. Older kids can understand the more advanced weather concepts, while younger kids will enjoy day-to-day observations. Consider providing a notebook to collect and record data so that a child begins to see the seasonality and cyclical nature of weather.
5. Start an indoor garden. While an outdoor garden may be tops for summer memories, an indoor garden can pique a child’s interest in winter. Create a terrarium or group small houseplants in a pot. If you have a very sunny window, try growing a few herbs or salad greens. For more advanced indoor growing, you can build or purchase a light garden such as a GrowLab (http://www.gardeningwithkids.org/growlab.html). The growing plants will bring joy to your home and keep the gardening interest brewing for the season to come.

To encourage you to start growing great gardening memories with your child or grandchild, The Heinz Corporation and National Gardening Association have developed an intergenerational garden award. To learn more and apply for this grant go to: http://www.kidsgardening.org/grants/heinz.asp.