When we built our garden, we wanted it to be more than a functional space or one that was pleasant for adults – we wanted a kid-friendly space that would encourage our children to be outside. Working within a limited budget meant we had to prioritize how we spend our resources in the backyard, and we ultimately decided to build our garden before we installed any play equipment. But why not do both? My brothers an I had just as much fun digging in the dirt as we did playing on the best swing sets, so I designed a space in the middle of our garden just for the kids. Ok, maybe it was also designed to have some workspace for our gardening activities, but it serves both purposes beautifully!
The kids enjoy working in the garden, and eating freshly picked veggies, they can quickly lose interest being in the garden (especially on a hot summer day). The pea gravel we selected for the space around our raised beds not only keeps things neat between the gardens, but also acts as a sort of sand box for the kids. There is often an assortment of toy trucks and tractors scattered about the garden as they are used to haul rocks from here to there. As tempting as it is to try and keep the gravel neat and level (my version of a zen garden), I’ve become accustomed to the mounds of gravel strewn about our shared space.
One hot summer afternoon, I was looking for a way to keep the kids interested in staying outside with me as I worked in the garden. What started as a small “pool” of water that was built with a small piece of plastic under the gravel evolved into a small network of streams and other small pools. My son declared that the main stream was the White River (the main body of water in Muncie) and gave names to all the “lakes”, while his sister was focused on making the water as muddy as possible. It was a great way to teach the kids about parts of the water cycle, erosion, and sedimentation. Much fun was had by all – including dad – and several hours were spent sculpting and re-sculpting a fluvial landscape out of the pea gravel.
We have a water table, which is a popular summertime activity with our kids, and if often makes its way into the garden as I’m working. My daughter enjoys using it as an outdoor sink for cleaning the veggies she’s picked in the garden. Creating our own water playscape in the gravel proved to be just as fun, and gave the kids something new to try in the garden. It has become a standard garden activity for those hot days, and dad may or may not indulge in the fun without the kids from time to time. In the future, we hope to build a more dedicated interactive water play area for the kids adjacent to our main garden space, which will give all the kids plenty of other water play options to go along with the gravel in the garden.
// Dad Gardener
