Gardening
Make Gardening with Kids Enjoyable
Including a teepee or using it as a trellis for pole beans is a fun addition to any kid's garden.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Gardening is good for the mind, body, and spirit. It is also good for the youngsters in our lives. Research shows gardening helps relieve stress, improve focus, positively impacts mood and psychological well-being, builds a sense of confidence, and more.
Look for creative ways to get children involved in gardening. Tap into other interests or skills like art, reading, writing, insects, math, and computers if you need to persuade reluctant participants into growing plants.
Include lots of colors and unique plants that kids will love. Crested celosia resembles brains, making it a good choice for the zombie fans in the group. Eyeball plant (Acmella oleracea), balloon plant (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) with its hairy inflated seedpods, snake plant, and kangaroo paws (Anigozanthos favidus) are a few to consider. Gardeners of all ages will appreciate the popcorn plant (Senna didymobotrya) with its buttered popcorn-scented leaves or bat-faced cuphea and the hummingbirds it will attract.
Consider adding features that make the garden a fun space to visit. There is a reason bean teepees, sunflower houses, and tunnels in the garden have remained popular with kids of all ages for decades. Or grow a garden shaped like a slice of pizza planted with all the key ingredients or a salsa garden. Everyone will benefit when using freshly harvested ingredients to create these dishes.
A pot or flat of grass makes a nice field for superheroes and a lawn for dolls. A bare patch of soil is perfect for digging, driving cars and trucks, or sculpting hills and valleys. All these build skills that can be applied to future gardening efforts.
Plant some salad radishes that are ready to harvest in 25 to 30 days. This will help keep the kids interested in the garden when waiting for the tomatoes, beans, and other vegetables to ripen. Call it harvesting when you are thinning the radish planting. Use these greens as a snack or in a salad. Harvesting and eating is more fun for all of us than just thinning the excess plants.
Use rainy days to create plant labels from paint sticks or stones. Paint individual words on some of the stones and place them in the garden. Let children leave messages for each other or write poetry. Or repurpose pickle jars into garden treasure jars. Have children decorate the jars. Then you fill the jars with messages or treasures before hiding them in the garden.
Explore ways to reuse and recycle landscape trimmings. Put twigs to use creating small-scale wattle fences for a fairy, gnome, or zombie garden. This is great practice for building a larger-scale wattle fence for the garden.
Go on a bug hunt to see who is living in your garden, yard, or neighborhood. Look for good bugs like lady beetles that eat plant-damaging aphids and bees that pollinate our flowers. Then log what you find in a backyard journal.
Gentle guidance, realistic expectations, and age-appropriate activities will help get kids excited about gardening. The gardens they create and the plants they grow are often amazing but more importantly, it is the experience of growing together that makes it worthwhile.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Travels with Pets
Hitting the trails with your pooch!
Fan-favorite dog-friendly National Parks to hike
Hiking is so much more enjoyable when you can take your four-legged sidekick along. Finding the perfect place to hike with your pup may require a bit more digging, but it's certainly time well spent.
While it may be intuitive to think that all hiking trails allow dogs, that's not always the case. While most parks allow dogs, they typically have trails specifically designated as dog friendly.
In addition, some trails require dogs to be leashed while hiking, while others allow dogs to be off-leash. Another consideration is the dog-friendly trails' rating. They can range from easy to very strenuous. You need to determine if your dog (and you) are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced hiker.
The good news is that there are many dog-friendly hiking trails in parks across the United States.
Here are some fan-favorites--from coast to coast!
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is located in western North Carolina in Brevard, NC. However, it surrounds almost all of the ever popular pet-friendly destination, Asheville, NC. Pisgah National Forest boasts over 500,000 acres of some of the most majestic and rugged mountain scenery, as well as the best outdoor exploration in eastern North America. In addition, you and your pooch will find whitewater rivers, waterfalls, along with hundreds of miles of hiking trails.
One of the more popular dog-friendly trails is Sam Nob Trail. It's a moderate trail that is 2.5 miles and takes about 1.5 hours to complete. It's well maintained, has beautiful views, and has a stair portion. Dogs must be on-leash.
Acadia National Park
Located in the bayside town of Bar Harbor, this spectacular park is Maine's only National Park…but it sure is a must-visit for hikers and their pups. Located on Maine's amazing coast, across from the infamous Mount Desert Island, this park is sure to please two and four-legged visitors. Dogs are welcome on almost all trails and carriage roads. With approximately 100 miles of dog-friendly hiking trails--you'll find trails from beginners to advanced.
One of the more popular dog-friendly beginners' trail is the Wonderland Trail. It's a short, 1.5 mile trail that takes you out to the ocean and through Maine's lush forest. Hiking pups must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.
Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park is located in the glorious Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It lies just west of Washington, D.C. The Park stretches 105 miles with entrances at Waynesboro, VA and Front Royal, VA. This scenic park boasts towering waterfalls, lots of wildlife, and spectacular views. They have approximately 100 miles of hiking trails . And the good news is dogs are permitted on almost all of them. However, the general rule is that dogs must be on-leash. However, some trails do allow dogs to be off-leash.
A popular dog-friendly trail is the Hawksbill Loop Trail. It's considered a moderately challenging route. It takes approximately 1-1/2 hours to complete. Dogs may be off-leash in some areas of this trail.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park lies along the Cuyahoga River between the Ohio cities of Cleveland and Akron. Dog-friendlyCuyahoga boasts over 100 miles of trails that welcome dogs. Known as a refuge for native plants and wildlife, the dog-friendly park provides visitors with a plethora of discoveries. The spectacular winding Cuyahoga River sweeps into deep forests and rolling hills.
Top rated moderate dog-friendly trails to hike in Cuyahoga Valley National Park include Salt Run, Kendall Lake and Cross Country Trails. For an easier jaunt, take the ever-popular Towpath Trail to follow the historic route of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Dogs must be leashed.
Olympic National Park
There's something for everyone (and dog) at Olympic National Park. In addition to plenty of hiking trails, this popular spot has beaches, waterfalls, and breathtaking, lush rainforests. Located near Port Angeles and Squim, WA,Olympic National Park allows pups on a number of hiking trails as well as various sections of the beaches.
Devils Punchbowl via Spruce Railroad Trail is a great dog-friendly hike. It takes you along the shoreline of the lake. This trail is considered easy and takes about 50 minutes to complete. Dogs must be on-leash.
Grab your four-legged hiking buddy and hit the trails!
About TripsWithPets
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Pet parents go to TripsWithPets.com for all they need to find and book the perfect place to stay with their pets - including detailed, up-to-date information on hotel pet policies and pet amenities.
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