Digging for troubles and treasures!

One Saturday morning, my 6 yrs old grandson asked me, " Ah mah (means Grandma in Hokkien), when are you going to start gardening again?"

He was asking me this question because on that day, I was busy cleaning my little studio home instead of doing my routine gardening tasks. He was hoping I would do some gardening so that he can "help" this was his word, i.e. digging and playing with soil, using his toy gardening tools without any disapproving looks from his parents. 🤭 When he showed me his little gardening tools which he had prepared in a little basket, I was trying so hard not to laugh. I must admit, they were so cute. 🤣

Such an enthusiastic gesture from him, motivated me to get him involved in my gardening tasks. It also gives me the opportunity to encourage him to learn about gardening while having fun. I hope to instill his love in nature and gardening at his young age.🙏

At the moment, his brain is full of natural disasters and dinosaurs as I often hear him talk about tsunami's, earthquakes, floods and landslides 🙄.  So a diversion from natural disasters to the beauty of nature is good for his mind. 

Nowadays children are so into ipads, computers, tablets, mostly social media, that they have forgotten about simple and educational outdoor activities, and hands-on experiences which are healthier for the body and mind.

My hard working Little gardener 😂
Gardening with grandchildren, is a joy as well as a lesson taught, whether it's about planting seeds, watering the plants or learning different kinds of plants and many more, that needs creativity, patience, care and responsibility. 

He believes that showering the fruits is "helping me".🙄

Anyway, whatever his method was, seeing him so happy with this task is what counts.😅
It is very rewarding to see happy faces of our grandchildren, who look forward to their gardening activities and their excited expressions, especially when the seeds which they planted have successfully sprouted from the soil. The fun of watering the plants with a garden hose or using his own cute watering can is satisfying. These activities with him are priceless times, the happiness that it gives to us 😀. 

My 3 gardening tools on the left and his 3 little colorful ones on the right😁

Our watering cans, you just have to smile 🤭

Our gardening boots 😅

Our gardening gloves

His pull-cart versus my wheelbarrow🤭

My grandson told me about the cucumber seed he grew in school ( he is in kindergarten grade now😁). Unfortunately his plant died but he didn't know why. 

I decided to teach him about gardening under my supervision, in my garden to build back his confidence.😊

There was an article written by NanaJill in Sept 2022 about gardening with kids she said , "All goods things in life start with a good foundation." It's true to some point such as a need for good soil, good seeds, adequate watering, plenty of sunshine and right guidance to help plants grow successfully. 

I used this 👆 short video clip as his 1st lesson for the bitter gourd planting. 

I don't want to disappoint my grandson based on his previous experience with his failed cucumber plant in school. So, I choose to plant bitter gourd which I have planted before that has never failed. Moreover, those seeds were from my over-ripe bitter gourd so it's sort of free seeds for him to try on.

In the process, he could observe how long it took for the 1st leaf to appear, then the 2nd leaf and so on.

To the kids, the first sprout from the seeds is a good start in life which can bring encouragement and confidence for them to carry on to the next step.

During gardening,  endorphins and serotonin are released which are the "feel good hormones" that will keep our spirits high all year round. If you have read my previous article  "A garden" (click 👉 "A garden"  will lead you to the page) about the 4 hormones which make us happy during gardening, you will understand why.

Lesson 1:

1. Getting ready the gardening items for him to start his class 😅.

2. Grandson's first gardening lesson:

Mixing soil (top soil + peat moss ) with his gardening tools! 

His parents love to take him to the beach often, where he would dig and play with sand using his tools at the beach.

Now, he is playing with soil in my garden. 

3. Filling his pot with soil and planting a bitter gourd seed into the soil. 

          4. Filling his watering can with rain water.

        

      5.Watering session ,looked more like drowning!😁. 

Good job! 

One of the greatest shared gardening activities is growing a plant in a pot, nurturing it, watering and feeding it and simply watching it grow. It's a great gift for children 

Leaving the pot on a sunny spot where he agrees to take responsibility of watering it everyday with his cute watering can until the seed sprouts.😁. 

The next morning, his mom told me, the first thing he did when he woke up was to water the seed! He excitedly told his mom that the seed will sprout in 6 days time! 😅. 

Lesson 2: 

A Compost Bin

 He was already full of enthusiasm for the next step.😂 I decided to teach him how to make a compost bin out of an empty plastic bottle. This lesson helps to teach him household waste, recycling,  sustainability and enriching the soil.

He was so excited creating a container for compost under my supervision 🤣. 

Look at him! 

So excited to help me to hold the DIY (do it yourself) compost container in place while I filled in soil to anchor it. 

Open ceremony

 Filling the compost bin, it's 1st feed, banana peels! 😁

Lesson 3

Priceless "Treasure hunt" in the garden. 

 1. Earthworms!

Earthworms are best friends for gardeners😁

Teaching my grandson about these slimy creatures.😁

Showing grandson how to handle these slimy creatures, gently with gloves.

Short video clip of us exploring the worms together in the garden.☺️

 Digging and looking for worms with his little gardening tools in the garden while explaining to him how earthworms make the soil healthy by increasing nutrients after leaving its poo as a natural fertiliser and how they create tunnels by wiggling in the soil for better drainage and soil structure.

2. Bird's nest & eggs. 

Short video of a bird nest with eggs! 🌹

While exploring the garden together, we found a bird's nest with 2 white eggs in a tree. It was like a treasure because it is a rare, exciting discovery and a valuable life lesson, for my grandson. Such a discovery brings joy and curiosity to him which evokes a sense of wonder and respect for nature.

Lessons on what to touch and what NOT to touch!

Watching from afar at the mother bird, protecting and incubating her eggs. 

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Lesson 4

From germination of seeds to harvest :

 Day 6 

 Hooray! Bitter gourd seed sprouted.😄

Day 7 

  1st leaf is out! 😁

The first leaf from the seed is often called the seed leaf which gives nourishment to the seedling before photosynthesis begins. 

Day10 

The 2nd leaf is out! 

From the 2nd leaf onwards, they are called the true leaves which are important leaves because they are responsible for photosynthesis, providing food for the plant to grow.

Day 12 

3rd leaf is visible. 

Day 15 

Tendril is visible! 

Once the plant is about 1 foot tall or starting to have 4 or 6 leaves, the vines will start producing tendrils for climbing.

By Day 15, the bitter gourd plant with tendrils were transplanted into a bigger pot for more space for it to grow.

      

Setting up trellis for the plants to climb.

My little gardener loves building this trellis on his own by tying a cable tie to secure the trellis. 

 Another good job done. 

Day 35 

The vines had reached the top of the trellis. This is where the tip of the vines were pinched off, mainly to encourage more side branching and fruit production. 

Day 40

Bitter gourd plants began to produce flowers and fruits

My grandson was so excited to see the first fruit and said, " Oh, so tiny !"😂 This is the right moment to teach him what "patience" means which will take roughly about 2 to 3 weeks more to mature before harvest.

Day 56

Time to harvest what we planted😂

Gardening is a great educator.

Lesson 5

Creativity and imagination.:

Imagination is the ability to create mental images and concept that are not present to the senses (something that's not real into reality) while Creativity is the process of turning those imaginative ideas into something new and valuable such as the original product or concept.

Since we also planted long bean, I made a Teepee Trellis for the plants to climb while creating a hidey-hole for my grandson as his own private space in the garden. 🤭

DIY Teepee trellis using 3 PVC poles and 3 pots of bean plants.

Day 45

The Bean plant has climbed vigorously, forming a perfect green hidey hole and little long beans hanging all over the pole .😊

Little Man's cave.😁
Cozy shade under the teepee trellis 😂

He's so contented to be inside this green hidey-hole, he's catching up on his Biology .
It was also a great place for story telling. 🤣. 

At his age of 6, he has already knows the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. 

It was hilarious to watch how the bean stalk, little house, "Jack", and the giant, sparks imaginations in his mind 🤣

Jack and the bean stalk:

The story goes like this.....Once upon a time... 

That's Jack's house. 

But where is Jack? 

Oh there he is! 

Climbing up the bean stalk🤭

Let's see what's on top of the bean stalk? 

Oh No! That's Wilson, the giant Monkey! 😱

My grandson screamed and ran into the house to hide inside his "Pillow-fort", giggling and laughing at the same time.🤣

Short video of Grandson's Pillow-Fort 😂

Lesson 6

Harvesting sessions ❤️

Digging up troubles and treasure😁

Harvest simply means the time when you reap what you sow. When the fruits or vegetables are ripe, now ready to be plucked or picked. 

 Harvesting long beans

Not only my little grandson has learnt to harvest the bitter gourd and long beans which he planted, he was also able to pluck other ripen fruits from the garden such as.....

Tomato picking

Fleshy red calyces of Roselle plants to make candies.😋 

Red sugar apple fruit

Harvesting ripen passion fruit from the garden.

After plucking the ripen passion fruit for the first time, he ran looking for his mom excitedly with the fruit in his hands to show her, his achievements.😂

Chok Anan mangoes, which he was so curious about.
He asked, " Ah mah, why are your mangoes hanging on the tree for so long and still not yellow (ripe) yet?" This is where I again, emphasized the meaning of "patience" for the fruit to mature before it can be plucked . 😁

Harvesting fruits and vegetables can be a delightful experience for kids. It gives them the sense of accomplishment and connection to nature.

Whether it's a success or failure in gardening, it's a learning experiment and experiences with hands-on for children.

Despite, whatever our age is, we learn from our 5 senses skills i.e. see, hear, smell, touch and taste every day without realising it, and through these senses, we learn how to apply into our daily practical life. Same goes for gardening. Teaching our grandkids to apply our 5 senses into gardening has a beneficial development to their critical thinking.

Even if we won't last being together forever as children grow up fast but 

 it will definitely create fond memories for them when they grow up. 

Out door activities can make everyone from young to old, happy😊.

Finale lesson:

A garden for kids

My little garden is a magical place for my grandson. Whenever there isn't any gardening task to be done, he's having his happy hours in the garden such as....

Bubble blowing just for fun😁

 Pool Time.

Zooming on his scooter

Riding his bicycle

Playing on his swing

His pet, a dog doesn't want to miss the fun too😂

Riding on a wheelbarrow was one of his happy moments in the garden.😂

He said his daddy loves to push the wheelbarrow with him in it and running around the garden since he was 3 yrs old and it was fun! That's his comment. 🤣

My grandson enjoying his ride in the wheelbarrow as I was pushing it with him in it. 

Even though I couldn't run fast like my son did, but it's good enough to fill his day with smiles and giggles.🤣

End of the joyful wheelbarrow ride in the garden 😅
I was exhausted pushing him in the wheelbarrow but he ain't had enough yet! Well, his daddy can carry on doing this job!😏

On one occasion, while I was watering the plants in the garden, I would purposely spray the garden hose at him, drenching him head to toe and he would scream, dodge, run and laughing aloud. 🤣

Oh No! He's running away from the water spray😂 Smart boy!😁

It was a great way to keep him entertained.
However, I am sure it will be a memory he will look back on fondly for the rest of his life.

It's a Life lesson which will help develop his appreciation of nature, and the simple pleasures of life.
For grandparents like us, it's an opportunity not only for bonding or creating memories with them but transferring our life experiences and skills to them by sharing stories and our wisdom and knowledge. 

And all this joy started with just a simple question from a grandson to a grandmother: "Ah Mah ( means Grandma in Hokkien), when are you going to start gardening again?" 🤣

I give thanks to my son and his wife for bringing this boy into our lives.❤️

Story written by "Ah Mah" and edited by Grandpa Stan💞🌹

References:

Gardening with grandchildren

Cultivating growth in children

Seeds leaves and true leave. 

Creativity and imagination

You reap what you sow. 

Climbing beans and trellis

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