A Family Affair
By Ellie Falk, CGC Youth Education Coordinator
Gardening is a family-friendly activity. There are tasks that fit all ages and skill levels and there are endless ways to create, explore, work and play that will delight despite whichever generation you belong to. Together you can feel a sense of awe and nurture your curiosity about the natural world. From the plant selection to the activities, GrowFest is designed to educate and entertain everyone, so bring the whole family and enjoy it together!
Snacking in the Garden
For many adult gardeners, eating what they grow is their favorite part of gardening. This is no different for children! Often even the pickiest eaters are more likely to try something if they had a hand in growing it. It’s especially fun for kids to graze in the garden, so choosing plants that you can just rinse and enjoy is a great way to get them eating more fresh fruits and veggies. Cherry tomatoes, lunchbox peppers, snap peas, strawberries and thornless raspberries or blackberries are great garden snacks.
They also love to help in the kitchen, so grow something that’s an ingredient in a favorite recipe and involve your little ones in cooking it. Believe it or not, a favorite recipe with our Summer Sprouts participants is zoodles with pesto using garden-grown zucchini and basil! You’ll find these and many more edibles at GrowFest.
Exploring with Your Senses
So much learning happens through our five senses. By incorporating different types of plants in a garden, you can activate all of them!
Of course, there are so many plants that you can taste. Herbs are great additions to the garden for that reason, but also for their scents. Just rubbing the leaves of basil, oregano, lemon balm or lavender between your fingers brings out their incredible aromas. Textures of leaves like waxy sedums, fuzzy lamb’s ear, feathery ferns and smooth lettuces can keep little hands investigating and learning to describe how plants feel to the touch. A garden is alive with sounds as well. When the wind blows, seed heads of native grasses and leaves rattle and you can listen to the buzzing and chirping animal life within the garden.
Finally, color is a great way to activate our sense of sight. Grow plants with a range of bloom times such as coreopsis, baptisia, coneflower, asters and goldenrod to have the garden in bloom throughout the growing season. Little ones can go on color scavenger hunts or collect the full rainbow of plant parts.
Wander through GrowFest and see what catches your eye…or your fingers, nose or another sense. Bonus points if you take a child along for the experience!
Fun for the Family at GrowFest
When you’re finished—or ready for a break from—plant shopping, there are lots of options during GrowFest to keep having fun. There will be kids’ activities all day long that include planting seeds, checking out our worm bin and crafting with upcycled materials. Enjoy live music on the patio from 10am-2pm and grab a bite to eat inside at the bake sale or from one of the food vendors set up outside. Bring the family and make a day out of it. We’ll see you there!