Green thumbs..

Hi everyone!

All of us mums know just how hard it is to keep our toddlers entertained and interested for more than a few minutes..not to mention trying to invent new ideas to stop boredom, that doesn't cost a fortune and if it is a clean activity..then even better!

Well, the other month, my MIL went away for a few weeks and left her prized posessions with us to care for..those of course being her plants. Now, any idiot knows that if i am left in charge of such things..they will surely not survive, so as my daughter took such an interest in them, I asked her if she would like to look after them for her grandma. She felt very important to be the one responsible for them and I felt relief that I wasn't going to be the one that was responsible for their lack of a green leafy future!

Each morning, she would rush outside to check her new friends but insist they need watering. Instead of giving her the watering can, I gave her a spray bottle filled with a little water so she could spray the plants and clean their leaves. Now, I must say, I think we had the nicest, shiniest plants in the world this particular week and ones that even Jamie Drurie would be admiring..

When the MIL returned for her beloved plants, she was most impressed and thanked Jenaya for all her hard work in maintaining them..only problem was..Jenaya wasn't impressed that grandma was taking her plants back home!

I think Grandma had been out of the door 5minutes when Jenaya and I were on our way to the garden shop to buy a small plant that was all hers, that only she could look after. She was very proud and showed every one that came to our house that this was her plant and she was the boss of it and no, no one else was allowed to touch it without asking permission first!

So, me not being the most enthusiastic of gardeners but able to see the benefits of gardening and little kids, now sees things a little differently. It is actually quite relaxing watering the plants (when I am allowed to of course) and it is lovely watching Jenayas face as she tends to her plant. We make a time to go out into the garden each day even if only to see how the plants are doing and to pick up a few fallen leaves. She loves this time and I must admit, so do I.

Try something new if you have never done this before. Buy your little one a small potted plant and let them be the carer. Let them be the ones to choose which plant they like the best. Watch their faces as their treasure grows..maybe even buy a vegetable seed to grow..thats my next mission! Buy a them their own gardening tools kept in their own gardening bucket. It is an inexpensive, outdoor activity that keeps little ones amused and one that you and your child can do and spend some one on one time together. You never know..your child may just have a green thumb!

Happy gardening!