The Many Benefits of Starting a Home Greenhouse With Your Child

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, many homeowners have taken an interest in starting their own greenhouse. Food insecurities and rising prices, strict lockdowns, increased homeschooling, and people looking for home-based projects have all contributed to the growing popularity of greenhouse gardening.

For parents, starting a greenhouse with their children has many social, physical, educational, and mental health benefits. Gardening with your child not only provides an abundance of learning opportunities but it is a great way to spend quality time together away from screened devices.

A home greenhouse is great for your child’s development. Starting and tending to a garden creates plenty of natural opportunities develop your child’s gross and fine motor skills. From the initial preparations to harvesting your homegrown crop, your child will be digging, picking up and holding objects, pushing, pulling, planting seeds, turning, reaching, bending, and doing a variety of natural movements that are essential to their physical development.

Greenhouse gardens stimulate all the senses. As your child plants the seeds and watches them grow, they will touch different textures and surfaces. Visually, they will see the soil, and containers, watch as the produce grows and see the variety of colours, shades, and shapes of the various plants. While growing your garden, your child will smell the plants, the soil, and any fertilizers or plant food used. They will hear the natural noises that come from constructing a greenhouse, digging in the soil, watering the plants, and moving the pots from one location to the next. Once the plants grow, you can stimulate your child’s sense of taste while exposing them to healthier foods by eating your homegrown produce.

There are many academic benefits to having a home greenhouse. Gardening is a natural activity that can be used to teach your child about science, math, and literacy. Math calculations can be used when planning and starting your greenhouse. Counting the plants and produce can be done throughout the growing season. Growing a garden is the perfect way to teach your child about life cycles, ecology, photosynthesis, the environment, diet, nutrition, and health.

Literacy can be taught by asking your child to read the plant packet instructions or instructions found on how to build your own greenhouse and write labels for each row.

Greenhouses teach your child responsibility while building their self-esteem. Watching a small seed that you planted and cared for grow into a beautiful, flourishing plant is very satisfying and promotes feelings of accomplishment for both you and your child.

There are many options when it comes to planning your greenhouse. If you have the space and desire, you can build a greenhouse in your yard or a designated spot in your home. For those wanting smaller greenhouses, there are many DIY mini greenhouses you can make using inexpensive and recycled materials. With all the benefits of starting a home greenhouse, it’s not surprising that it has become one of the more popular home-based activities during the pandemic.