[SocksOn]

Any advice on best ways to involve the children?

Come March I will have a 2.5 year old and I want to get him involved but in a stress free way, as I will be fairly heavily pregnant.

Any ideas will be greatly appreciated thank you

[joyfull]

get you little one their own little set of tools and get them growing some very quick growing salad crops - even give them their own little area to grow these in 

[Nikkithefoot]

As Joyfull says get their own tools, and mini watering can. Let them have their own bit of the garden / plot/ /tubs. To directly help you give them some big seeds to plant (peas, beans if you normally grow them) as well as those which are quick to germinate and grow on. Sprouting seeds are good, you get their interest and they see changes daily and get to eat them quickly.

If there are any particular weedy areas they can be let loose to pull up what they can, makes a big difference in the end, but the risk is they get carried away and pull up some thing you want.

[Christine]

If anyone knows any ways of getting children to help at anything they have more talent than me. 

[min200]

If anyone knows any ways of getting children to help at anything they have more talent than me. 

LOL my youngest loves helping with the chooks and plot!










The lure of pocket money each week helps of course!

[8doubles]

If anyone knows any ways of getting children to help at anything they have more talent than me. 

Have you tried telling them they are not allowed to help ?

[JaK]

Start him off now growing cress in yoghurt pots on the windowsil. My daughter does this everyday. My kids also grow salad leaves and spring onions in little trays, also on the kitchen windowsil.
My kids help with almost all of the seed sowing and then love to pull carrots up or pick the beans..... It all takes longer with them 'helping' though.

[savbo]

put in a sandpit

make a tiny pond in a washing up bowl or something, safe but still able to sustain various minibeasts...

set aside one small area for muddy digging etc

[Yorkie]

Sunflower seeds are also worth starting off and then planting out (the taller the better!)

[loopylottie]

My little ones started of growing beans in clear plastic cups( no dirt just water) and a shallow dish with leaf lettuce ( even though my smallest decided one day to try eating the dirt too ) cress is good aswell. Anything that grows quickly as they often lose interest faster than it grows.

oh and good luck with your new arrival

LottieX

[Kristen]

Mine enjoyed Gourds.  We had them piled high in the house through the winter, after harvest.  You might need a plan for how they get disposed of without a rebellion though!

Mine love Carrots and Sweetcorn, so we grow lots of them.  The kids didn't really grow them, but they do get involved in the harvesting. We grow carrots in pots (half old used potting compost, half sharp sand) and they can just pull the carrots they want as the soil is so light, and I bring the next-pot-to-harvest into the conservatory so the youngest can be sent to "get 5 carrots for lunch" without having to go far

Now they are a bit older they help with the seed sowing, and the planting out, just working alongside me.  They get bored reasonably quickly, so I only ask them to do a few, and I pull their leg mercilessly through the rest of the growing season about how crooked their rows were ...

I encourage them to enjoy the harvest - they know that our veg taste amazing compared to what they get at school and at other people's houses ... so they are learning the benefit, and most of what I know about veg came from reading and doing, even though lots of adults gave me good advice when I was young - so I think all you can do is to create a future interest - otherwise they will see it with as much joy as doing Latin Vocab!

Make sure they understand that numerous plants are poisonous too. Mine are aware that we can pick Aconites and it doesn't kill us! but that we should wash our hands as soon as we come in.  I don't want them becoming over-anxious about it, but equally I didn't want them just shoving everything they saw into their mouths when they were little.

[TheSpartacat]

Slug hunting!!!!

Get them a mini magnifying glass and tell them to hunt for clues like snail trails and check under leaves...?
Later in the year they can hunt for caterpillars.... and then aphids....

You'd end up with your own pest control department!   And maybe get them interested in wildlife

[kenny199]

Slug hunting!!!!

Get them a mini magnifying glass and tell them to hunt for clues like snail trails and check under leaves...?
Later in the year they can hunt for caterpillars.... and then aphids....

You'd end up with your own pest control department!   And maybe get them interested in wildlife

,Funny but true .I was talking to an O.B.looking after his sons plot last year.He was picking catapilars off greensand said it reminded himof his childhood. his dad grew veg in the back garden and one year his greens were alive with "Livestock".His dad told him if he picked off all the critters he would give him a penny for each one.he was very diligent and got them all . He wanted more money so he went to the local allotments picked them off greens there and took them home to dad.

[SocksOn]

Thank you so much! Reading your posts has given me lots of inspiration and I can't wait to get started  

[totalnovice]

My little boy has been 'helping' since he could walk! he loves to play with his own tools and wearing his garening gloves, he loves to plant beans and larger seeds, and i think it is improtant to let them see the product of what the have done, zach loves nothing more than to eat a cucumber slighlty warm and only just clean straigh from the plant! Yes a whole cucumber.....

Oh yeah, don't worry if they pull up the wrong plants, tread on stuff or break stems, they are only plants at the end of the day and with littlies helping you have to expect a few casualties.