For a long time, my husband and I were stuck in survival mode after our twins were born. Our two older kids, Holden and Beau, have been so patient, both during my difficult pregnancy and during those first couple of years of our twins’ life.
Our home became our cocoon, and we perfected entertaining ourselves indoors. As a result, for this unique period of our parenting journey, I had to put aside one of my passion for gardening so we could focus on our kids.
But this season marks an important landmark for our little family. Our twins are now old enough to run, play, and even listen to instructions. This means that we are now starting to emerge from our cocoon and starting to explore the great outdoors.
One educational activity that has helped us to enjoy being outside together, is gardening. We are breathing life into our once ragged garden and planting new flowerbeds in our backyard. This is a great activity away from television, where they can learn about nature and get a little dirty.
I also used this opportunity to educate our big kids about bees, and the importance of planting wildflowers, to help save them. I first sat down with Holden and Beau and interview them. What began as a fear of bees, eventually turned to excitement and them being eager to be part of the cause...to bring back the bees. They loved hearing how many species of bees there are and how bees pollinate other plants, so that they can make "baby" plants. Have a look:
Since spring is the best time to sow seeds, we planted the seeds that were sent to us through the Bring Back the Bees campaign by Honey Nut Cheerios. Holden and Beau now know the importance of planting wildflowers so the bees have enough to eat and stop dying off. Bees are so important to our ecosystem which is why it's so important to plant these wildflowers so they can then continue pollinating all of the plants that produce the foods all of us love.
Getting outside and gardening with our kids was a fun, hands-on activity we all enjoyed. Our kids participated in every part. From digging into the dirt, to planting and watering their seeds. Even our twins caught on quickly and started to mimic the big kids as they dug and watered the garden.
Why not enjoy this fun and educational activity with your family too? Not only is it a great way to spend a Saturday morning, but you will also helping to bring back the bees.
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