Top 5 Reasons to Garden with Your Children

The Bismarck-Mandan area is beginning to think about gardening thanks to warming temperatures and this weekend's Dakota Garden Expo.

But Gardening is not just for adults as the NDSU extension will proudly tell you. Here are the top 5 reasons to garden with your children:

1. CARING

Gardening with your children will teach them about caring for items as well as other living things and will teach them responsibility.

2. NUTRITION

It will be much easier to get children to eat their vegetables if they grow them themselves. They will be able to see exactly where the food came from and know that they had a hand it making it come to fruition. Kids will be excited to eat the food they grow.

3. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

If you garden, you know that sometimes it takes its toll on your body. Whether you are doing a little bit of digging or constantly moving around, you know it can be a good workout. In addition to the healthy items the kids can indulge in once they are ready, they can get a good workout in prior to meal time.

4. EXPLORATION

Children are curious by nature and love to explore certain things that they don't already know. Gardening is a great way to allow kids to safely experiment with new things they never previously experienced.

5. RELATIONSHIPS

Gardening is a good way to build a bond with your kids and spend time together. It will also teach them about cooperation as they will need your guidance and will need to follow instructions and work hand-in-hand with you to make sure the plants grow to their full potential.

Representatives from NDSU will be on hand along with other organizations to give seminars to help you with all your gardening needs. Saturday morning there will even be a seminar specifically devoted to giving you fun gardening projects to do with your kids.

The Dakota Garden Expo is a family-friendly event. Kids are encouraged to attend and there will even be a dedicated kids zone with a sandbox where children can play while you walk around.

The Expo will be held at the Bismarck Event Center today (April 15) from 3pm to 8pm and on Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

[NDSU Extension]