I don’t know about you, but I love doing projects with my children. Whenever I have a free afternoon or weekend, I always look for ideas for new projects we can do.
If you follow this blog regularly, you will know that every summer we have an abundance of strawberries growing in our garded (usually some gooseberries too). Growing fruit is always a winner as we all love to eat it. In case you fancy growing some fruit with your little ones, I thought I would share what I’ve learnt so far.
~ Opt for fruit that grows quickly
Kids get bored incredibly easy, so when it comes to growing fruit with your children, it’s a good idea to opt for fruits that grow quickly. Once your child has seen how growing your own food works, you can then move onto growing things that take a little longer.
~ Choose fruit that your child likes
The key to keeping your child focused on taking care of their fruit is getting them excited. The best way to get them excited about your new project is by growing fruit that you know they like. If your child knows that they can taste it once it grows, they will be happier to take care of their fruit plants.
As well as opting for fruits that you know your child likes, why not use growing fruit as a way to get them to try new foods? Many parents struggle to get their kids to try new things, especially new fruits, so growing new things for your child to try is ideal.
~ Go for fruit that requires a low amount of care
As you want to encourage your child to take care of the fruit themselves, it’s a good idea to choose fruit that doesn’t need too much care. If your child’s fruit doesn’t grow properly, this could put them off growing fruit for a while, so it’s important that it goes well.
~ Berries are a good option
If you are a little stuck for ideas for what to grow first, growing berries is perfect for children. Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are all ideal, as they are easy to grow and grow pretty quickly.
While you can grow all of these berries from seeds, when you are growing with kids, it’s a better idea to start off with seedlings. You can buy soft fruit plants from most garden centres, as well as online on gardening sites, so they shouldn’t be hard to get hold of.
~ Invest in children’s gardening equipment
To encourage your little ones to keep up their good work and continue caring for their fruit plants, why not get them some equipment?
Make sure not to invest in plastic gardening equipment as this often breaks easily. You can pick up some fantastic children’s metal gardening equipment online on eBay and Amazon for low prices.
Growing fruit with children can be a lot of fun, and is a perfect project to start with them. Just make sure that before you start your new project that you are properly prepared and have everything you will need.
Rebecca x
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Love this idea but I’m worried we’d fail miserable as I have killed every plant which has entered my home. Only the things which survive without my involvement have prospered.
#mummymondays
I’ve only had success with strawberries and gooseberries – fruit is much easier than veg, I’ve found x
Lovely post! We dug a small veg patch for the kiddies this year – lots of strawberry plants, which my son loves to look after. We also planted radishes as a ‘new’ vegetable for him to try. He’s tried them in the past but always turned his nose up at them. Now that he’s grown them himself he really loves them!
that is great. When they can see where the food comes from and have helped to ‘make’ them, they’re more likely to eat them!
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Growing your own, even if it only cress on the windowsill, is a great way for children to learn about biology and to try new foods. They don’t even realise they are learning.
#HomeEtc
Fionnuala from http://www.threesonslater.blogspot.com
very true, thanks for reading Fionnuala x
I used to love trying to grow things when I was little, a great way to get them involved. Even now I get really frustrated with slow growing plants 🙂 x #HomeEtc
I am NOT good with growing anything like this, but you’re right, it’s a great project and so good for the little ones to get involved. They have loved digging and planting bedding plants this summer. So I am going to try! Thanks for linking up lovely. Much appreciated. Jess x
#HomeEtc
We grow LOTS of fruit and veg in our garden and the boys are fascinated by it all! It’s so lovely for them to see where their food comes from! We have hens too — and have lots of lovely fresh eggs — but unfortunately, one of the boys is allergic to them!! Thanks so much for linking up with #HomeEtc — hope to see you again next week! x
Caro | http://www.thetwinklediaries.co.uk