A Road Trip to Future Gardens
Want to help create the gardens of the future and have fun at the same time? Time travel might be a bit of a challenge, so let’s simply invite children to garden with us instead! Seriously, think back to your early experiences with gardening. Did you plant a seed in a paper cup, see a butterfly, or perhaps pick a tomato? I’ll bet that most of us have a happy childhood memory of gardening, and those positive hands-on experiences planted the seeds of inspiration for many current gardeners and gardens. Now is the perfect time to pass that gift forward.
Think of it as a road trip. We are traveling with future plant lovers and the joy we have along the way is the seed they carry with them. Just how will this adventure work? A little bit of planning will help us all have a great time as we create a positive gardening experience.
Plan your adventure:
The internet provides an abundance of possible activities. We are not expecting to recreate the gardens of Versailles on this trip, so keep it simple and select a project that matches your own comfort level.
Look at the project through the eyes of your guests. What will you need to create a successful experience? Child-sized tools and gloves are perfect, but not a deal breaker. Many children will be more interested in the immediate process rather than a distant result…sticking a seed in the ground NOW may be much more exciting to them than a future harvest.
Take a practice spin:
Use the actual supplies you’ve accumulated. This gives you the chance to see any challenges the directions may have overlooked. What could spill, get eaten, dropped, or broken? Should you bring supplies to keep people and places clean? Is this project going to go home with your future gardeners?
Pack the car:
If you don’t want to get wet, don’t turn on the water. Bring a spray bottle or a condiment bottle full of water. If there will be more than one child, plan for a variety of skills and work speeds. A small backup task can keep a speedy gardener in the group.
Keeping all the supplies out of sight until needed has prevented more than one disaster. A towel makes a useful cover. Have extra supplies for moments when “mine broke.” If you share a sample project, avoid one you spent three days completing, and bring supplies that match your sample.
Take off:
Create a safe journey by working together to establish the rules of the road. One way to set the tone is by asking if your companions want to have fun. Talk about what that might look like and perhaps what might not be enjoyable. Remember, our goal is to have fun. Many a future gardener was weeded out by forced labor, rigid rules, or discomfort. No one, regardless of age, wants to be uncomfortable, or embarrassed.
Are we there yet?
Fear of trying something new stops many adults before they ever get going! If you are unsure of connecting with your own inner child, start with a small step. Perhaps invite a young neighbor to help add to your compost pile or consider volunteering at a school garden. The program will be glad to have you and you will get a refresher on age-appropriate activities. I suspect you will find you have more to give than you knew!
Children are spontaneous, in-the-moment beings who have so much joy to share. We are all enriched if we do just a little planning and preparing. We get to create new memories and revisit old delights. They get to carry the seeds of this adventure to plant in their own future gardens. That is a road trip worth taking, don’t you think?
As Audrey Hepburn said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
