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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Fun weekend activity with kids

I love gardening. I think I get this trait from my father, who in turn seems to have got it from both his parents. This doesn't mean that I have a thriving garden....I only have a few plants in my balcony and I try and do my best with those plants. That, however, doesn't stop me from wanting more plants or admiring people who are avid gardeners. I am trying to inculcate this love for plants in my daughter. Two days back, I told her that she could grow some plants all by herself. She soaked a handful of methi seeds in enough water to cover them and left them like that for a day. The next day, with a little help from me, she drained the water and emptied the seeds into a wet cloth. We left it loosely covered overnight. This morning, she opened it and was very excited to see that the seeds had sprouted.

After popping a few into her mouth, she was ready to plant them. We dug the soil and my daughter was thrilled to discover earthworms in the soil. It is only a few days back that I read her a story which explains how important earthworms are to make the soil fertile. She was very happy we had plenty of earthworms in the mud and that they would make the soil good enough for her seeds.
She did all the planting herself - she sprinkled the sprouts on the freshly dug soil, covered it up with some more soil and then sprinkled some water over the seeds.

Now she is eagerly waiting to see the first few leaves and also to see what will be cooked with the leaves.
Do take a look at my fellow marathoners' kitchens....Srivalli,
Azeema, Bhagi, Champa, Gayathri Anand, Gayathri Kumar, Harini, Kamalika, Meena, Mina, Padma Pavani,PJ, Priya Mahadevan, Priya Suresh, Priya Vasu, Rujuta, Santosh, Saraswathi, Savitha, Shanavi, Smitha, Sowmya, Suma, Usha, Veena

23 comments:

jayasree said...

Thats one fun activity to do with the kids. Glad that yours enjoy doing it.

Priya Suresh said...

Seems ur little one enjoyed a lot this weekend activity, home grown methi leaves are really very handy na..

Champa said...

That is neat. I once tried to grow methi in a container. They came out very good, but eventually turned yellow.

Meena Thennaapan said...

It is really a wonder to see the sprouts.

Meena Thennaapan said...

it is a thrill to watch sprouting happen.
Even more when shoots come

Unknown said...

That is a cool thing to do with kids, I remember my kids thatha used to make them palnt onions and potatoes over the summer hols and have them check on them daily....

MySpicyKitchen said...

Nice activity to do with your child over the weekend.. I can imagine the excitement in your daughter, to see the leaves sprout out..

http://www.myspicykitchen.net

Harini said...

Good activity for kids..they sure luv this!

Peggy said...

I think it's great to teach children the fundamentals of gardening! I'm sure it's going to be real exciting to see her face when the leaves start sprouting up!

Mina Joshi said...

I remember ding this when I was a kid in Kenya

Santosh Bangar said...

realy fun and vegie is nutritious

Unknown said...

its always fun to check out gardening....ur kid deos enjoy a lot

Ihsan Welfare Trust said...

looks fabulous! great job!

Srivalli said...

How wonderful Jay..wish I could do that with my kids..

Preety said...

i have no clue about gardening my dad is very good at this but never tried to learn anything from him before marrg and now we have a huge backyard but i don't know where to start..i think your post gave me a start i will try to do the same..see i am learning with your daughter too:)..great post keep them coming..

Did you cover the seeds completely with the soil ?

Unknown said...

thats a fun way to get them to learn gardening!
Smitha
http://smithasspicyflavors.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

nice one..

Pavani said...

That's a great fun activity for kids. I'm planning to have my son get involved when we start planting this spring. Have to see how he much enjoys.

Sensible Vegetarian said...

Sure fun activity. You have a nice blog.

Unknown said...

good to keep kids active during weekends with some fun learning..

Shanavi said...

Super ...Good activity for ur kid

Padmajha said...

Nice activity for kids.Lil angel and me do the same thing.Let her sow some seeds and she waters them dutifully and enjoys them grow :)

Unknown said...

That is such a good thing to do with kids.