IN HONOR OF EARTH DAY

www.TheMotorStory.com

WHY GARDENING IS TERRIFIC FOR CHILDREN

With the approach of Earth Day, I thought it appropriate to share my passion for gardening and thoughts about how playing in the dirt (literally and metaphorically) is good not just for the soul but the physical being as well.

I was the kid who sat blissfully for hours with an aluminum tin and an old spoon, making mud pies in my grandmother’s rose garden. Happily, when I had three very young children, my husband helped dig a small garden in the only sunny spot in our yard. I would spend hours tilling the land and weeding (mostly on Saturdays when the watchful eye of my spouse kept the children from harms way). I did not feel guilt as I tended the plot because I knew I was cultivating healthy food for the family. Eventually the towering trees blocked most of the light and the animals drove us from the land. When the fence grew to unreachable heights, the ground hogs went to work digging under the three foot boards I buried at the base of each fence. C’est la vie!

I currently have a property with abundant light and coyotes must keep the deer at bay. A small fence seems to do the trick for the smaller animals. So, I am again in mud pie heaven. Plans for the beds evolve during the darkest days of winter and by St. Patrick’s Day the seed cells are done. With numb hands we begin working the soil early in the spring. Back aches aside, I find the time in the open space soothing and invigorating. While a trip to the nearest Whole Foods for all my produce would likely cost less than we spend on the various accoutrements to till the land, the simple joy of bringing in a basket full of home grown veggies is amazing. The aromatic herbs fill the kitchen and the flavor is so much more intense than store bought.

I know that gardening is therapy for me. Now I’ll tell you why it facilitates motor development in children.

1.Mixing the soil for seeds provides a wonderful tactile experience.
2.Picking up and placing seeds develops a pincer grasp.
3.Use of small garden tools helps to strengthen hand muscles.
4.Use of larger tools, such as hoes, shovels and rakes requires the use of two

hands.

5.Reaching to plant, weed, rake and shovel usually requires rotation of the trunk and midline crossing-all trunk strengtheners.
6.Frequently the gardener works in four point; another body builder.
7.The standing and squatting builds strength in the legs.
8.Tending to weeds, planting seeds and harvesting correctly all require visual

attention. Secondary gain: increased focus and attention span.

9.Digging, raking, bending over, etc. all are physically demanding-this builds

endurance (and burns calories).

While I tend to spend way too much money with seed catalogues and equipment, there are many inexpensive ways to get started.

1. Save egg cartons to use as seed cells.
2. Save cardboard milk cartons for transplants.
3. Compost-this is way better (and cheaper) than chemical fertilizers.

Rotating Bin Simple Pile Simple Composter

4. Collect and save seeds; share/swap with friends.
5. Ask friends for cuttings when they are thinning perennials.
6. Use natural “ingredients” to mulch-sea weed, grass clippings, crushed leaves, recycled newspaper.