Emily teaches Alex and Olivia about blossoms.
Photo courtesy of Julie Titone
Emilia and Antonio pick carrots in the Mukilteo Community Garden.
Photo courtesy of Julie Titone
How to grow a gardener | Tilling Times
Jeanne Crisp
For some, peace and quiet while they plant and harvest is the best part of the Mukilteo Community Garden. But for other gardeners, the sound of kids' voices asking questions is just as important.
Several families at the MCG are instilling a love for gardening in their young children. Why is this important? And how do they keep kids interested?
Eliza grew up in Poland and spent summers with her grandparents and their big garden. She especially remembers her grandmother's beautiful tomatoes. There was no TV to watch, so it came naturally to work in the garden, to gather food, and eat outdoors. Now Eliza shares her knowledge with daughter Lucja, who loves to learn. The hands-on work in the garden makes it easier to teach Lucja where food comes from, and Eliza believes learning to grow food is a lifelong skill.
Stephanie has happy memories of gardening with her grandparents, which was a huge part of her life. Now gardening is a family affair with husband Juan, nine-year-old Emilia, and four-year-old Antonio. She wants to teach them life skills and self-sufficiency, and be sure they understand where their food comes from.
What's Stephanie's advice on how to get kids engaged? She said her kids love to interact with other people in the garden, so she brings them to work parties. When they ate broccoli at home recently, Emilia and Antonio were happy to realize they grew it in their garden. And the kids like to see the wildlife in the garden, which ranges from roly-polys and worms to butterflies, birds, and the visiting neighborhood cat.
Peggy describes involving her kids at a preschool age. They helped pick the vegetables to plant, and Peggy instilled in them the magic of watching a seed turn into a marigold or carrot. She also said, "It's a constructive activity to do while getting some fresh air."
One multi-generational family at MCG is Becky, daughter Emily, and grandkids Olivia and Alex. Becky's family were farmers in Michigan, including a grandmother who fed many people from a victory garden during World War II. Becky grew her own vegetable garden so her two children would have good nutrition habits. When her daughter Emily was a toddler, the whole family would eat out of the garden. As Emily said, "If I was hungry, I'd just run to the garden and help myself to something to eat."
Today Emily is a mom – and a healthy eater. She's carrying on the family tradition because gardening teaches you about your food, and where it comes from.
When asked how to keep kids interested, Emily suggested "Give them a sense of pride. Find a way for them to be involved." Olivia, now 5, has been a champion bean and blueberry picker for three seasons. She also likes learning about plants. Alex, 2, likes the physical aspects of gardening such as weeding and watering. There's certainly room for both types in the Garden.
Emily also suggested letting the kids take ownership of some of their garden beds. Give up your own idea of perfection and let kids grow and learn in their own way. And, plant what they like to eat. As usually happens, Olivia and Alex are interested in tasting vegetables they've grown.
Half the beds at the Mukilteo Community Garden are used to raise produce for area food banks. All the kids mentioned in this column also help plant, weed, and harvest those crops. While they're learning to garden, they are also learning to give to others.
So last but not least, the best advice on how to grow a gardener is: Let the kids feel like the Garden is a second home. They can learn from everyone else, and they can contribute as well. It's a Community, and they are an integral part of it.
Posted Tuesday, September 6, 2022 9:00 pm
Mukilteo Community Garden hosts an open house on Sept. 10
The Mukilteo Community Garden will host an open house from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. All are welcome. Come learn about veggies you may wish to grow next season. Ask your gardening questions. Learn how MCG contributes nearly 2,000 pounds of organic produce annually to area food banks. And enjoy treats baked with garden produce. The garden is located at 44th Avenue West and 76th Street SW in Mukilteo (the upper trailhead to Japanese Gulch). For more information call 425-737-0351.
Jeanne Crisp
For some, peace and quiet while they plant and harvest is the best part of the Mukilteo Community Garden. But for other gardeners, the sound of kids' voices asking questions is just as important.
Several families at the MCG are instilling a love for gardening in their young children. Why is this important? And how do they keep kids interested?
Eliza grew up in Poland and spent summers with her grandparents and their big garden. She especially remembers her grandmother's beautiful tomatoes. There was no TV to watch, so it came naturally to work in the garden, to gather food, and eat outdoors. Now Eliza shares her knowledge with daughter Lucja, who loves to learn. The hands-on work in the garden makes it easier to teach Lucja where food comes from, and Eliza believes learning to grow food is a lifelong skill.
Stephanie has happy memories of gardening with her grandparents, which was a huge part of her life. Now gardening is a family affair with husband Juan, nine-year-old Emilia, and four-year-old Antonio. She wants to teach them life skills and self-sufficiency, and be sure they understand where their food comes from.
What's Stephanie's advice on how to get kids engaged? She said her kids love to interact with other people in the garden, so she brings them to work parties. When they ate broccoli at home recently, Emilia and Antonio were happy to realize they grew it in their garden. And the kids like to see the wildlife in the garden, which ranges from roly-polys and worms to butterflies, birds, and the visiting neighborhood cat.
Peggy describes involving her kids at a preschool age. They helped pick the vegetables to plant, and Peggy instilled in them the magic of watching a seed turn into a marigold or carrot. She also said, "It's a constructive activity to do while getting some fresh air."
One multi-generational family at MCG is Becky, daughter Emily, and grandkids Olivia and Alex. Becky's family were farmers in Michigan, including a grandmother who fed many people from a victory garden during World War II. Becky grew her own vegetable garden so her two children would have good nutrition habits. When her daughter Emily was a toddler, the whole family would eat out of the garden. As Emily said, "If I was hungry, I'd just run to the garden and help myself to something to eat."
Today Emily is a mom – and a healthy eater. She's carrying on the family tradition because gardening teaches you about your food, and where it comes from.
When asked how to keep kids interested, Emily suggested "Give them a sense of pride. Find a way for them to be involved." Olivia, now 5, has been a champion bean and blueberry picker for three seasons. She also likes learning about plants. Alex, 2, likes the physical aspects of gardening such as weeding and watering. There's certainly room for both types in the Garden.
Emily also suggested letting the kids take ownership of some of their garden beds. Give up your own idea of perfection and let kids grow and learn in their own way. And, plant what they like to eat. As usually happens, Olivia and Alex are interested in tasting vegetables they've grown.
Half the beds at the Mukilteo Community Garden are used to raise produce for area food banks. All the kids mentioned in this column also help plant, weed, and harvest those crops. While they're learning to garden, they are also learning to give to others.
So last but not least, the best advice on how to grow a gardener is: Let the kids feel like the Garden is a second home. They can learn from everyone else, and they can contribute as well. It's a Community, and they are an integral part of it.