Teach your children these enviro friendly garden hacks
The world is becoming more and more like a concrete jungle by the minute. Luscious lawns are turned into residential high-rise buildings, while even forests are being cut down to provide the resources to make it happen. Therefore, it can be hard for your children to learn how to be environmentally friendly, especially in a world that hasn’t quite welcomed the concept with open arms yet.
If you want your children to appreciate nature and all its beauty, while encouraging them to do their part to hold onto it, then teach them these gardening hacks. You may find their interest in the environment blossoms before your very eyes.
Use Organic Products
If you want your children to be environmentally friendly, then you need to practice what you preach. Rather than douse your garden in the most toxic chemicals on the market to rid them of insects, always hunt for organic alternatives. You can buy pre-made natural products designed to stop bugs in their tracks, or you can sit down with your children and create your own bug deterrents.
Tip: Insects hate coffee grounds, so consider stocking up on these!
Build a Birdhouse
Teaching your children to be environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be a classroom lesson. They are sure to get plenty of these at school. Instead, you can make it a fun experience. Building a birdhouse is not only a way in which to spend time with your children outside, but it educates them on the importance of birds.
We need birds for controlling pests and pollinating flowers, but also for weed control and help with the gardening too. Birds love to eat the seeds of weeds on your lawn, so it’s a win-win for both bird and property owner. What’s more, if you build birdhouses for your property amongst your lawn and garden area, you benefit from conserving the bird population which can be rare in a residential area.
Build a Rainwater Collection System
Children love to build things. It’s an inquisitive part of their nature that sees them like to find out how something begins, works, and ends. Therefore, if you find yourself in need of a cost-effective water collection system for when you’re gardening, the kids can learn an awful lot by helping you build one. Not only does having such a setup save you from having to use the town’s water supply for your garden, but it means you can use a sprinkler and hose to your heart’s content.
When the time comes to get the children together and learn how to be more environmentally friendly, you may find a few of these collection systems are within your skill set to produce.
Plant Flowers
Whether you contact an expert to help with the process, or you and the kids want to give it a go on your own, you will find that planting flowers has many benefits. Of course, the main advantage is that you’re doing your part by being environmentally friendly. However, did you know there were so many other reasons why planting flowers is a good idea?
When you get the gardening gloves and head out to your lawn, you will marvel at the beauty of the flowers. They’re bright, vivacious, and add so much colour and fun to your yard. What’s more, their environmental benefits are unparalleled.
Flowers help to remove pollutants from the air during photosynthesis. The leaves of the plant absorb carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen in return. And, if you and kids head outdoors and plant your favourite flowers, you also benefit from knowing they can help to reduce flooding and soil erosion as well. For the birds, the kids, the bees, and yourself, there are so many reasons to head to your local gardening store and get planting.
Start a Vegetable Garden
If you haven’t already got a vegetable garden, you may find starting one with your children is rewarding in so many ways. Firstly, it gets the kids off their mobile devices and out into the garden – something you may find difficult on a regular basis. However, showing your children how to start a vegetable garden can also set them up for life. When they grow up and move out of the family home, they will be able to provide fresh vegetables for their family in the way you did for them. What’s more, you’re doing your part for the environment by opting out of plastic-packaged vegetables from the supermarket.
Gardening can be a rewarding job, but it does take patience. Therefore, it’s a good idea to try and make the entire process as fun as possible. Let the kids choose what they want to grow and buy them children’s gardening equipment so they can feel and look the part.
After weeks or months of care – something you may need to actively encourage to stop them forgetting - you can then let them enjoy the fruits of their labour. For mum and dad, it’s another win, as the kids may be more likely to eat their greens when they know they’ve grown them themselves.
Being environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be a hard task, but it does require you to think outside the square a little. If you’re ready to get outdoors and teach your children to be responsible for nature, consider trying out any of these tips and tricks above. You may find your children have hidden green thumbs that just need a little bit of nurturing.
