A Bit Of Earth

I think all kids should get their hands dirty sometimes.  What better excuse to get dirt under your fingernails than to plant something in a bit of earth?!

We took a trip to a nursery together and found Australian Native Violets (Viola hederacea) for only a couple of dollars.  A plant like this is perfect for planting with kids.  It’s small, has cute flowers, is easy to grow, spreads as a groundcover, and is happy in a pot or in the garden.  We chose to put ours in a pot on the front verandah.  My toddler was able to fill the pot with potting mix, tease the roots gently, put the plant in the hole, fill the dirt back in around it, and add pretty rocks.  She has diligently watered her violets every (yup, every) day since planting them, and they are absolutely thriving!

My children really are city kids, so I feel like these kinds of activities are especially important.  I want them to still understand about how things grow.  They need to know where flowers and fruits and vegetables come from.  I know they’ll learn about the parts of a plant and requirements for growth when they get to school, but I can teach them something else.  I can show them what it means to nurture something – to lovingly tend to it and care for it, and to take pride in the growth that results.

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The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett, (c) 1911) is one of my favourite books of all time.  Since I stole the title of this blog post from the book, I thought I’d share these snippets from Chapter XII:

“Is there anything you want?… Do you want toys, books, dolls?”

“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth?”

In her eagerness she did not realize how queer the words would sound and that they were not the ones she had meant to say.  Mr. Craven looked quite startled.

“Earth!” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

“To plant seeds in–to make things grow–to see them come alive,” Mary faltered.

Mr. Craven got up and began to walk slowly across the room. “You can have as much earth as you want,” he said. “You remind me of some one else who loved the earth and things that grow. When you see a bit of earth you want,” with something like a smile, “take it, child, and make it come alive.”