Master Gardener Volunteer, Shelley Haefner, from Old Chatham (Columbia County) is passionate about gardening, nature photography and the great outdoors. She re-joins the Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley podcast for an informative discussion about Kid-Friendly Gardening.

As a mother of two, and the organizer of a summer gardening program for children in Chatham (NY), Shelley has lots of ideas and practical experience to get kids engaged in gardening and keep them interested throughout the season.

Perhaps the easiest way to get children engaged with nature and gardening is to make it fun and treat it as a game or play. Consider making a bug bingo game or treating the garden as a place for a scavenger hunt. A pole bean race is one way for kids to have fun. Have you thought about using hornworms with parasitic wasps to introduce a child to pest control? Using edible flowers (pansies, nasturtiums, herbs, etc.) in an arts and crafts project is another possibility.

Obviously, gardening tasks should be tailored or customized to the age, attention span, and the interests of the individual child. Some are interested in getting their hands dirty. Others prefer to look at the garden from a more scientific perspective. Others can be encouraged to get engaged in learning about nature from an artistic or culinary perspective. Pizza gardens anyone? How about a sensory garden? Kids can also create a photo journal of their experiences in the garden. Shelley offers lots of ideas and suggestions based on the age of the child and their interest areas.

Listen in to learn more about how to engage children in gardening activities and make some memories with your family.

Hosts: Jean Thomas and Teresa Golden

Guest: Shelley Haefner

Photo By: Shelley Haefner

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Tim Kennelty, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski, Robin Smith