As an avid gardener, mother and grandmother, there’s nothing more satisfying than watching that spark of enthusiasm in the eyes of a child as he or she discovers the thrill of planting a seed and watching it grow. And although the garden is a wonderful place to encourage the growth of plants, it can also be a great tool for educating these young cultivating minds. Gardening with kids can be tricky in that they require continual stimulation and engagement to keep them interested, regardless of age, but by encouraging an early love for gardening, chances are good that this will continue to grow as they do.

But how and where does one start? A great place to begin this life-long hobby is through hands-on activities. After all, what kid doesn’t enjoy digging in the dirt, playing with insects, making mud pies”¦or opening a box filled with fun gardening arts and crafts. Imagine the excitement. This can be just the thing to spark that gardening bug, and the ROCA Big Gardening Activity Box has everything needed to make your child yearn to learn. What’s in the Big Box? Inside this curated garden box, you’ll find the following:

• 4 seedling planters to grow their first plants
• Garden stickers
• Bee coloring mask
• Crayons
• DIY garden picture frame

In addition to these creative hands-on projects, you’ll find a set of child-sized gardening tools with a “Good Bugs for Your Garden” learning guide and a pair of gardening gloves.

Little ones love watching things sprout, so giving them the opportunity to plant their own seeds is a fun way to engage this curiosity. Fun plants for children include easy-to-grow fruits and veggies, and other plants that stimulate the senses, like those having fuzzy leaves (lamb’s ear) or interesting characteristics (snapdragons) that grab their attention. Allowing children to become actively involved in caring for plants and harvesting vegetables with their own tools provides a unique opportunity not only to spend time with them, but ultimately helps kids develop an understanding of how plants/food grows along with a sense of responsibility and pride in themselves, which boosts self-esteem. In addition, you can teach lessons from science and math to health and more.

Gardening provides an opportunity to educate children a variety of topics in an inviting and entertaining environment. Many of these become life-long lessons they will carry into adulthood, and it can all begin one box at a time.