How to create a family garden and get little ones involved.
We all know that getting children out into the garden for some sunshine and a bit of fresh air is good for them. Gardening in particular, teaches important life lessons - hard work, patience, responsibility. But, in fact, the benefits stretch far further.
Engaging with the natural world has a considerable role to play in childhood well-being and development according to Lucy Jones, author of Losing Eden: Why Our Minds Need the Wild.
“From our heads to our toes, spending time with nature can affect our emotional and psychological lives.” Lucy explains, “The nervous system is more balanced in natural spaces. We're more likely to recover from stress in nature. If we’re gardeners, beneficial microbes in the soil can enhance serotonin (the chemical in our brain that contributes to wellbeing and happiness), and the smell of the earth after it rains — which is called petrichor — affects the brain in mood enhancing ways. I could go on.”
Lucy's book research led her to discover a robust science behind how crucial contact with the natural world is for our well-being, and how we've lost so much of that connection.
Read More HERE.