Get the Kids Involved!

As a child, one of my favorite activities was going to grandma and grandpa's farm in Allen, Michigan. Allen was a small town (population 500) back then, and even smaller today (population less than 300). But it was the "at" place for the Donnelly grandchildren. And because of that experience, this is one child who grew up eating and liking vegetables. I am convinced there are two reasons for this.

First, I did it myself. I podded the peas, I shucked the corn. And I LIKED doing it! Go figure. But I think doing it myself connected me to those veggies and I was far more likely to taste them than if I had never done anything.

Second, and most important of all, homegrown veggies taste better. I think we all want children to eat their fruits and vegetables. But do we ever wonder why they don't eat them? Well, I have eaten one too many mealy tomato so I know why they don't eat them. They don't taste good when the most important thing about them is how long can we make them last. Homegrown veggies don't need to last as long as the ones from California and Mexico. And that's why they taste better. If they taste good, children are going to eat them.

Anyways, that is the gist of the vegetable gardening presentation I did for the Child Care Providers workshop conducted by the Public Libraries of Saginaw. This was a new venture for me, but I am hoping I convinced a few people that if they didn't have a vegetable garden it was about time they put one in!