“Mommy, mommy!” my son called to me as we were walking back to our car together after a day at our local science museum. “That hurts the ea-rth!” He picks up the wrapper that had fallen out of the stroller and rushes it over to me, concerned. Even at 4, he understands some basic concepts of environmental responsibility.
It wasn’t until I had children that I really started thinking about my carbon footprint. As an expectant mom, I spent a good amount of time reading about the things I could do to minimize my baby’s exposure to toxins. It was during my first pregnancy that I began eating natural, minimally processed organic foods, switched to all-natural cleaning products, and started being purposeful about the products I purchased. Fast forward a few years, and I’m slowly introducing the concepts of sustainability to my children. We read books and watch films that introduce these concepts to children in meaningful ways. My husband and I also talk to my son about turning lights off, conserving water, recycling, and being “kind” to the earth.
One of the areas I’m incredibly passionate about is food. Many years ago, we eliminated chemicals, preservatives, and other unnatural ingredients by choosing not to purchase those foods. We strive for fresh, natural, and organic foods when feasible, and I actually carry a list of the foods with the highest pesticide residue in order to prioritize my organic purchases. Last year, my husband had the brilliant idea to plant a garden because not only would we have access to fresh, local produce, we could grow organic.
We’ve been eating the lemons and tomatoes off of our trees and we all love the fact that we can simply go out to our backyard and pick what we need when we need it. To deepen our shade of green, we decided to plant more vegetables with my son a few weekends ago. Seeds of Change offers Kids Garden Starter sets which make it easy for parents to plant fruits and veggies with their children. Everything you need to get started is included such as planting pots, Organic Certified Seeds, planting mix, an easy grow guide, and more.
After reading the instructions (which are straightforward), we spent some time in our backyard planting. My son already understands the concept of growing fruits and veggies in order to eat them straight from our yard, however, we’ve yet to explain to him what “organic” means and why it’s important.
This month is Earth Month and to continue reducing our carbon footprint, we planted carrots and lettuce. It takes a few weeks for them to bloom, so I’ll update you on how green our thumb is once they do.
Disclosure: I participate in the Walmart Moms program and am compensated for my time and honest opinions.
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the kids garden kit looks like something my daughter would enjoy doing with me
What a fun project to do with the kids! They are always wanting to help in the garden and this is a great way to get them started!
Oh that’s neat! 🙂
This kit looks great! I grow herbs on my NYC apartment window, and my younger siblings really love helping out with the watering and maintenance. I hope your seeds grow to be blue-ribbon-at-the-fair worthy! 🙂
This is a great way to get the kids started gardening. My kids get such a reward from growing their own veggies.
Such a great project. My kids help me with our produce garden every year. They love seeing seeds turn into plants and enjoy eating the fruits of their labors.
OMG I love this! What a great idea. I’m looking into community gardens- maybe this would be a good starter for us.
What a neat idea! Will have to try this out =)