Although I inherited my green thumb from my mother, and I am using the term green thumb very loosely there, we decided to give a go at a vegetable garden this summer. Jon and I have been researching for awhile now- attending gardening seminars, downloading gardening apps, and devouring new books on how to grow your own vegetables. The boys helped Jon build the frames for the raised beds, we took them to the store to pick out what they wanted to plant, and they've been practicing with their new watering cans all week. Little do they know that not only will they be growing vegetables this summer, but they'll be learning and practicing all sorts of life lessons... and although I can't wait for the yummy veggies, I'm most excited to watch my little boys grow right along side of our tomatoes and beans.
We debated on using seeds or started plants, but ultimately we decided to go with seeds. One of the lessons we want the boys to learn from their vegetable garden is patience. Now-a-days, everything happens with one click of a button. We have all learned to expect an immediate response to our actions and the art of old-fashioned waiting is slowly dying. So we decided to start with seeds and hopefully teach the boys the virtue of patience. The boys will get to run to the planters box every morning, full of excitement and anticipation, eager to see if anything has happened to their little seeds. And for many mornings, they will be disappointed. (Wow, we sound like great parents!) But soon their patience will be rewarded- we will get to watch our seeds grow from the ground up while learning that sometimes, the best things in life take a little time.
So, last night we started a few of our seeds in a planters box and boy oh boy did the boys have fun! There is nothing quite like seeing two little boys happily digging in the dirt. It's what they are meant to do and it is such a beautiful sight! Not so much for my laundry pile, but certainly for my heart. And while they were playing in all their little boy glory, they practiced their listening skills. They practiced following directions. And although they wanted to start by dumping the seeds in before the dirt, they learned the order of operations as they worked through each step of planting. Its amazing to literally see how learning and fun truly are one in the same when you take the time to step back and notice.
But I think my favorite part of our gardening experience so far was Matthew's little goodbye wish to the seeds he planted. While Caleb got a little bored after 45 minutes or so and wandered off to use his extra dirt to build a sand trap for his golf balls, Matthew stayed and planted each and every little seed with a heartful of love. As he dropped each seed into its little hole, he waved to it while saying, "Goodbye little seed! Grow big for us!" And when I tucked the boys into bed last night, I kissed them each on the head and quietly whispered, "Goodnight little seed. Grow big for us."
We debated on using seeds or started plants, but ultimately we decided to go with seeds. One of the lessons we want the boys to learn from their vegetable garden is patience. Now-a-days, everything happens with one click of a button. We have all learned to expect an immediate response to our actions and the art of old-fashioned waiting is slowly dying. So we decided to start with seeds and hopefully teach the boys the virtue of patience. The boys will get to run to the planters box every morning, full of excitement and anticipation, eager to see if anything has happened to their little seeds. And for many mornings, they will be disappointed. (Wow, we sound like great parents!) But soon their patience will be rewarded- we will get to watch our seeds grow from the ground up while learning that sometimes, the best things in life take a little time.
So, last night we started a few of our seeds in a planters box and boy oh boy did the boys have fun! There is nothing quite like seeing two little boys happily digging in the dirt. It's what they are meant to do and it is such a beautiful sight! Not so much for my laundry pile, but certainly for my heart. And while they were playing in all their little boy glory, they practiced their listening skills. They practiced following directions. And although they wanted to start by dumping the seeds in before the dirt, they learned the order of operations as they worked through each step of planting. Its amazing to literally see how learning and fun truly are one in the same when you take the time to step back and notice.
But I think my favorite part of our gardening experience so far was Matthew's little goodbye wish to the seeds he planted. While Caleb got a little bored after 45 minutes or so and wandered off to use his extra dirt to build a sand trap for his golf balls, Matthew stayed and planted each and every little seed with a heartful of love. As he dropped each seed into its little hole, he waved to it while saying, "Goodbye little seed! Grow big for us!" And when I tucked the boys into bed last night, I kissed them each on the head and quietly whispered, "Goodnight little seed. Grow big for us."
I love it! We chose seeds too, but also got some herbs and other small plants. The Easter Bunny put seed packets in their eggs.
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