I’m the proud grandmother to two fabulous, intelligent, curious grandchildren. I like to think that some of my curious nature and pursuit for knowledge has been instilled in each of my precious girls. With that in mind, when we play, we are often learning something too. I’m a gal who loves to get my hands dirty. My garden is my sanctuary, my teacher, my solace and my gym. So when I get the girls for a weekend or afternoon, and I’m looking for something to keep them busy, entertained and educational, I naturally turn to the vegetable garden.

When gardening with kids, however, adult sized garden tools can overwhelm them. So to begin a garden of their own or to help work in an existing one, you need to have some kid sized gardening tools handy. ROCA Toys is a great place to start looking with their fun set of kid sized tools. The ROCA Gardening Tools for Kids includes a rake, shovel, trowel, watering can and gardening bag plus a STEM based learning guide to teach them the basics of home gardening and help them understand where their food comes from. Remember, learning through playing and hands-on interaction is the best teaching tool.

Naturally, with tools of their very own, the kids will want a vegetable garden plot of their very own too. So be sure to take the time to sit down with them and plan out the garden beforehand. What do they want to grow? Shoot for easy, quick-growing veggies like radish and old-time favorites like cherry tomatoes and peas. Make sure the location for the garden in easily accessible and has plenty of sunlight too. Let them be in charge of its overall care, with a little help, of course. Pretty soon everyone will be happily digging, planting, and watering.

Suffice it to say, as with my grandchildren, having a set of garden tools all their own and just their size is a big hit, allowing them to play/work while learning too.