[andreadon]

I'm not a child and I don't have any, but I always buy the kids' seeds from Homebase - you know, the yellow packets that have names like "corny sweetcorn" and "sunny sunflower", with cartoon people with vegetable heads.
I like them because they're easy to grow and have good instructions on.

I think they'd be ideal for your son if (as suggested here) you want him to feel in charge of them!  (he should be able to follow the instructions on his own)
Be warned, though, I've done the sweetcorn thing for three years running and haven't got a single piece of corn!!   

My friend and I did a competition with the sunflower though.
I won, of course. 

[sunshineband]

Hi RangerKris - this is something I'm keen to more about.
As forest school leader

We are currently building a new veg garden at school, with the rather grand aim that fairly soon this will be something every class will be expected to join in taking their turn with over the week.... no problem with getting the kids in there I can tell you. I've taken the tack of having 'trainee experts' (who will graduate at some point when I reackin they know enough) who can provide advice and guidance on an aspect. So far we have the Composters , the Strawberry Bunch (well the plants arrived and we had to do somehting with them) and the Spud Bods. Very popular and loads keen to be the next appointed trainees, even though we are under snow!!!

WE are very lucky with our site, having our own fairly large copse - like you I always let the kids use real tools for the job, and the worst that has happened was the rather over enthusiastic coppicing of some hazels --- the wrong hazels --- when I took my eye off the group and left them with a parent for two minutes!!!

Keep up the good work!

[Christine]

Osmosis often works.

My children were totally disinterested as youngsters despite family running a gardening business (well except for the one who worked for us for a period). However they do all seem to have taken to running their own gardens eventually now that they are grown up.

Any interest that they show and any time that they spend with you gardening may well blossom later. Don't be downhearted if the results aren't NOW. 

I mean us parents are old enough to know that sometimes results take time. 

[richyrich7]

Most of mine will come with me if they know I'm going down the lottie as long as it's short bursts they are ok, make sure you have enough weapons, sorry tools to go around the more dangerous looking the better  seriously tho' mine have always seemed to enjoy the doing job's watering, cutting stuff down  etc. One of ours even has his own plot now. Look like your having fun and they will too 

[Duracell]

Osmosis often works.

My children were totally disinterested as youngsters despite family running a gardening business (well except for the one who worked for us for a period). However they do all seem to have taken to running their own gardens eventually now that they are grown up.

Any interest that they show and any time that they spend with you gardening may well blossom later. Don't be downhearted if the results aren't NOW. 

I mean us parents are old enough to know that sometimes results take time. 

My folks hate gardening, and it is just as well cos they suck at it. This is one of the reasons I need a forum, no helpful family and because I am in my own garden no plot neighbours to get advice from. This means I have made more than my fair share of mistakes, usually because I misunderstand instructions which seem obvious to people who have been doing it for a while. I will get better but I know I will always make mistakes

I like that me n the kids are learning together, they see my mistakes and know it is ok to give it a go and fail. Gardening teaches so many lessons, some of which the kids will learn even if they never set foot on your plot. I like that.

[Rangerkris]

Hi RangerKris - this is something I'm keen to more about.
As forest school leader

We are currently building a new veg garden at school, with the rather grand aim that fairly soon this will be something every class will be expected to join in taking their turn with over the week.... no problem with getting the kids in there I can tell you. I've taken the tack of having 'trainee experts' (who will graduate at some point when I reackin they know enough) who can provide advice and guidance on an aspect. So far we have the Composters , the Strawberry Bunch (well the plants arrived and we had to do somehting with them) and the Spud Bods. Very popular and loads keen to be the next appointed trainees, even though we are under snow!!!

WE are very lucky with our site, having our own fairly large copse - like you I always let the kids use real tools for the job, and the worst that has happened was the rather over enthusiastic coppicing of some hazels --- the wrong hazels --- when I took my eye off the group and left them with a parent for two minutes!!!

Keep up the good work!

Not wanting to highjack the thread but hey,   I was told about forest schools by an old manager of mine he told me that it would suit me down to the ground.  Sure he was right i hated school with a passion and spent most of the time at the country park i now work at. 

We have 4 school groups come to us a week, 10 one week 10 the next alternating from november to july.   Ages 4-15 on different sessions we do all sorts of activities from tree faces to cooking on an open fire.  we use tools from hacksaws to bill hooks and bowsaws.  we go out to the woodland and look at coppicing and go puddle jumping and mud bank sliding when the weather allows. the only time we dont go into the woodland is if there are high winds. 

I was the first Country park to set up forest schools in Kent and since passed it on to a college of mine as i wanted to get back to the tools.  I enjoyed the forest schools and still do the older groups from the behaviour units. i might just have fallen in to this bracket if they were about when i should have been at school.    i totally understand where these kids are coming from.  None of the other rangers will work this group as they all have trouble with them.

One of the best activities we do is an over nighter in the woodland where the group have to build there own shelters and cook there own food we also cook in under ground ovens which is amazing when you have been looking out for 20 people all day.

i could go on for ages about the benefits of the out door class room it teaches so much that they forget to teach in school right now i know i have good support from our early years advisor team, we done a session for 40 of the advisors and there was only 2 people that didnt go much on it as they turned up in heels and skirts hmmmmmm.

Hope this sheds abit more light on Forest Schools for you sunshine band we seem to be reading from the same page which is cool. 

How can children learn about safety and dangers of tools if they dont get chance to use them. Im sure most of us on this forum are of the same idea as we all love being out and exploring new tools and ideas and making things.

[Sharonx]

My son will come down and help on the odd occassion, as my mum and dad and brother all have plots too it's good to meet up and stop for tea and biccies. My younger nephews go down there as well so we have a right family gathering.

Rangerkris is this Riverside Country park you are talking about?

[Rangerkris]

Sharon, Im at Capstone park but do work Riverside when theres a big task on.

[Stripey_cat]

Would they be interested in seed-saving/selection over a couple of years?  Turn it into a genetics experiment for them, basically. 

Or see if there are kids' classes at the village show (or enter them in the adult classes anyway).

[Sharonx]

Small world, I live a stone throw from Riverside Country Park Kris 

[sunshineband]

Thanks for the encouragement RangerKris. Must have been meant to be on this page as Forest Schools is something my son is keen to set up where he works (with profoundly deaf teenagers --- many of them have serious issues (beyond HI of course). I am deeply impressed by whay you have achieved. I'm goin to see oif there are any started within a  day's drive.

We take a group away each year and 'live in the woods' for one night in the shelters they have made, and cook on open fires. Like a holiday from the rat race.

[BestBreast]

We have encouraged gardening and construction and now livestock at a very early age so our little one loves to help outside. 

Looking for worms, digging, clearing, planting, etc he has his own tools as well as being aloud to use ours. I think we are very relaxed and having such a big garden has really helped because he has a say with planning and doing. Nothing is too precious and getting muddy well what little child can resist.

He also has some really cool toys to play with if he is not in the mood so he can be with us but not pressured to help. Our latest venture of lifting slabs and digging up the sand under them was great as he really enjoyed filling his wheelbarrow and making a special delivery (he is really into Postman Pat lol).

Getting them interested at a later age may not be as easy but once you succeed your satisfaction will be worth the wait.  :happy:

Do your kids eat everything or are they picky. If you can get them cooking they may naturally get more interested (if they have a say in the family meals/what to grow). It may seem obvious but, there is no point getting them to grow carrorts if they wont eat them.

It may be a bad idea but how about a bribe to get them to help once they get used to it they may like it. It could be as simple as what you save on food bills goes towards a new family gift/day out/holiday etc.. 

Diane

[Elcie]

Growing things which show very quick rewards usually work quite well with children.  Salad leaves, radishes... those kinds of things.  Also quick climbers like runner beans.

My son (11) did an experiment at school with runner beans, grow one in tissue paper, one in dark, one in light, one in soil and see what happens.  This really encouraged him so you could work on that side of things to encourage an interest.

[FCG]

I agree with you there Elcie on quick results to keep interest. A competition on pumpkins (if you have space) alongside runner beans with potatoes should help. How about a sunflower contest?

[SnooziSuzi]

All good ideas there!  thanks guys!

I particularly like the one about growing pumpkins to sell at haloween  in return for a bit of spare cash