Gardening is a fun way to engage kids in hands-on learning and teach them important life skills. Gardening provides a comprehensive experience that fosters a love for nature, curiosity, and responsibility. Here are a few tips that can engage kids in gardening and make it an exciting, educational journey:
Plant Easy-to-Grow Plants: I'd recommend sunflowers, marigolds, or zinnias. They are vibrant and grow quickly. In the vegetable department, check out tomatoes, beans, carrots, or lettuce. These grow quickly, allowing kids to harvest them in a few weeks. Let kids participate by digging, planting, watering, and caring for the plants. A plus is that kids tend to be more interested in eating vegetables that they've planted.
Make it Fun and Creative: Have themed gardens. My kids loved fairy gardens with miniature decorations. Plant a pizza garden with tomatoes, basil and peppers. Create colorful plant markers to label the plants. Make a seed bomb by mixing clay, compost, and wildflower seeds into small balls which kids can leave in various areas of the garden. Let the rain wash the clay away and see the flowers grow and blossom!
Make it Educational: Explain how plants need sunlight, water, and soil to thrive. Introduce concepts like photosynthesis, pollination, and composting. Teach kids about insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs and how they help plants.
Gardening allows kids to learn how to care for plants and gives them a greater appreciation for the world around them.
Today's Insecure Writer's Support Group question of the month is, "What was the most inspiring feedback you've received from readers?" Well, I've gotten a lot of great reviews for my work. I appreciate every single one of them! But the biggest and most helpful feedback I got was from a publisher when I was submitting Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China. He said it was good, but that I should change the point of view to make it first person, alternating between the two protagonists. It was originally a third person point of view. I took his advice to heart and rewrote everything. It made it a lot better! Not long after that, it was published!
What about you? Any inspiring feedback from readers?
A couple more things before I go...
Happy Birthday to US! is on tour, and there's a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card (and signed copies of the book). If you'd like to enter, go here: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/happy-birthday-to-us-by-sherry-ellis-awareness-tour/
And I just performed Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody arranged for Viola and Orchestra with the Gwinnett Symphony. If you'd like to see the performance, go here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoralI5HD6o
