You might worry that you’re depriving your children of important experiences if you’re unable to have a garden … or just aren’t interested in gardening. While having a garden can give children wonderful experiences, there are other ways to help children have many great gardening experiences and a love of nature.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
You can do a lot to prevent nature-deficit disorder and give many experiences in nature almost anywhere. (This post is a combination of Throwback Thursday and 2016 … how my family has experienced gardening and nature without ever having a garden.)
My family has often lived in places where we couldn’t have a garden. We didn’t live in an apartment, but we did have yards that weren’t hospitable to garden plants.
For two years, we lived in a house on a cliff in the Black Hills of South Dakota and then for a year and a half in a rented house in Vail, Colorado. When our kids were 7 and 12, we moved to a house in the Cheyenne Mountain foothills in Colorado Springs, with a yard filled with the wonders of scrub oak, deer, foxes, and even the occasional bear – but a yard that would barely grow grass.
Even though we didn’t have a garden of our own, exploring nature was an important part of our homeschool and use of Montessori principles in our homeschooling. Here are some ideas we used to help our children experience nature and grow plants without the benefit of having our own garden. Many of these same ideas are being passed on to the next generation … now in beautiful San Diego.
Pruning Trees and Caring for Growth in the Yard
Will and Christina learned to care for our yard when they were young. Will especially was interested in learning about pruning trees and took on the responsibility of pruning our trees as needed. Both Will and Christina did yard work, including raking leaves.
Learning from Grandparents’ and Others’ Gardens
Will (15), Christina (10), and Grandpa Glenn on the way to pick potatoes from Grandma and Grandpa’s garden, 2000
We were very lucky that my parents love gardening and always have a large garden in South Dakota. Will and Christina experienced planting seeds, weeding the garden, harvesting, and eating fresh garden vegetables, thanks to their Grandma Judy and Grandpa Glenn.
Grandma Judy and Christina with Grandma’s Flowers, 2000
We also have great memories of visiting farmers’ markets and supporting local farmers selling fresh vegetables.
Picking Potatoes, 2016
This summer we had the fun experience of expanding experiences at Grandma Judy and Grandpa Glenn’s farm to my granddaughter (Will’s daughter), Zoey. At 2¾ years old, Zoey is in love with her great grandparents’ farm and its plants. In the picture above, Great-Grandma Judy, Great-Grandpa Glenn, and Will all took part in Zoey’s gardening experience.
Rides around the farm are always part of the experience!
As always, rides around the farm were part of the experience. In the photo above, Zoey had fun with her mom and dad after the gardening work.
Zoey and Great-Grandma Judy even used a Montessori-inspired flower cutting tray to get the most out of their experiences with Great-Grandma’s flowers.
There are so many fun ways that others’ gardens can give children amazing experiences … from community gardens to special farms for berry picking or apple and pumpkin picking in the fall.
Using Planters, Window Boxes, and Vertical Gardens
When my children were growing up, we could have planted vegetables and herbs in planters – and that would have been a good way to experience gardening without a garden. Because of my parents’ garden and our love of farmers’ markets, we didn’t grow vegetables in our planters. We did have a window box filled with flowers each year when Will and Christina were young, though. Another option would have been square foot gardening, which I think is great.
Watering a Plant at Grandma Deb’s Home, 2016
I still haven’t started square foot gardening or growing vegetables, but Zoey does enjoy watering the flowering plants or herbs I grow on my patio. We’ve used those for a variety of science activities using a nature tray.
Tasting Organic Lettuce from a Planter Garden, 2016
While I haven’t started growing vegetables, Zoey’s Aunt Christina and Uncle Tom grow a variety of fruits and vegetables at their home. Here Zoey’s tasting some of their fresh organic lettuce.
Updates:
In 2019, we started growing flowers in a vertical planter. We still use it!
Post by @livingmontessorinowView on Threads
Now it’s 2024. In 2023, we started a butterfly and hummingbird garden on the balcony!
My grandkids especially love the Kids Potting Bench. Along with flowers and other plants in the splash tub (can be a sand and water tub), we even grew a few organic tomatoes on the trellis along with basil and parsley in the frame for vegetables. There are even more kids’ potting benches on Amazon this year, so it’s easy to find one that works well for any area.
Hiking and Exploring Nature
Will (9) and Christina (4) on a nature hike in the Black Hills, 1994
Christina (5) and Will (10) during more explorations of the Black Hills, 1995
We’ve been extremely lucky to live in some of the most beautiful places in the world. We spent a lot of time hiking in the Black Hills as a family, and Will and Christina spent a lot of time hiking and exploring on their own. Will even learned all about rattlesnakes from a neighbor who helped us when a rattlesnake visited our front door. Vail and Colorado Springs also gave our children lots of wonderful places to hike and explore in nature.
With Zoey, we have botanical gardens at the San Diego Zoo, fabulous ocean experiences and hiking areas, and even lots of fun nature walks around the neighborhood.
When Zoey visits her maternal grandparents in North Carolina, she gets added variety and a different climate for her nature experiences.
Expanding on Nature Walks around the Neighborhood
Here are some blog posts with ways we’ve expanded our neighborhood nature walks. You’ll find lots of resources in the posts for activities you can do at home even in a city and without a garden.
Montessori Nature Tray Sorting and Counting for Toddlers
Nature Walk and Nature Cutting Tray for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Montessori Nature Tray with Magnification Work and Flower Arranging
Life and Death Nature Tray with Pet Loss Books
Montessori Nature Tray with Vocabulary – Parts of the Plant
I loved discovering new ways for my children to experience nature (and seeing the new ways they discovered on their own). And now I’m loving discovering new ways for my granddaughter to experience nature. What is your favorite way for your children to experience nature and/or growing plants?
If this is your first time visiting Living Montessori Now, welcome! If you haven’t already, please join us on our Living Montessori Now Facebook page where you’ll find a Free Printable of the Day and lots of inspiration and ideas for parenting and teaching! And please follow me on Instagram, Pinterest (lots of Montessori-, holiday-, and theme-related boards), and YouTube. While you’re here, please check out the Living Montessori Now shop.
And don’t forget one of the best ways to follow me by signing up for my weekly newsletter. You’ll receive some awesome freebies in the process!
Save
I have a grandbaby who just turned four on August 4th. My husband and I of 27 years just moved to a little town of Limon, Colorado and I have to say it’s been the best move in all our years of marriage. Our grandbaby ( Kassidie) gets to spend a week or two a month with me and she gets to spend her time with me exploring around the 1,000 acres we live on. My only regret about moving here is that I wished we did it when our three children were younger. There is some sort of peace out here that I’ve come to love- and it’s something I can’t explain.
Always a joy stopping by your site. So many wonderful ideas. And gentle motivation as well. Thanks as ever. I worry so much about completing the task, that I sometimes forget that each task can be a learning experience for the kids. thanks for reminding me.
These ideas are awesome! I only have a small garden but I really want my kids to connect with nature more. We do a lot of walking but it just isn’t the same as having them look after their own plants. I’m definitely going to try a window box and see how they cope!
Thanks
Eric
I love your mentality of using planters and window boxes to get children to understand nature as well as getting outside for yard work. You don’t have to have a garden to appreciate nature and the outdoors, there are plenty of other options!
Thanks for the wealth of ideas! Time in nature is important for my four year old and me, but I have been feeling guilty that I just don’t have the time/desire to garden.
Lovely ideas – my boys have many many hours exploring my parents very large gardens too!
Thanks so much, Monique! Grandparents’ gardens are awesome for kids, aren’t they?! 🙂
I love how you describe a garden is not a must have for instilling a love for nature.Great post for the carnival!
Thanks, Isil! I really appreciate your kind words!
you seem like having lots of fun. I think a extensive vegetable garden i only for serious devotees and you prove perfectly that nature can be enjoyed and explored without going to that extent
Thanks so much for your kind comment! I really admire people who are able to have extensive gardens – but we have been very happy experiencing nature in other ways!
I have pretty much always lived where we could garden, this really is the first time we live in a place where we are not able to. I miss gardening so much. It is so much fun to see children learning so natural out-of-doors, where they truly thrive the most.
Thanks for your comment, Debbie! That would be difficult to go from having a garden to not being able to. I hope you find a great alternative for your family.
Love the pictures! Brings back memories of my youth… 🙂
Living in an apartment currently myself, I have an Earth box, grow bag and a few planters full of random plants and engage my daughters in watering them daily. You’ve given me hope that they will still enjoy gardening even without a garden! 🙂
Thanks, Amanda! It sounds like you’re doing an awesome job of helping your daughters’ develop a love of gardening! 🙂
A great list! If we don’t get our garden off the ground (ha) this year, I plan on sending Kieran over to our next door neighbor’s garden to help weed and care for her veggies. She’d love to have the help, and I know he’d enjoy it.
Thanks, Dionna! I’m sure Kieran would love to help your next-door neighbor! I think my kids’ gardening experiences were extra special because they were at their grandma and grandpa’s! 🙂
Wow, it sounds like you lived in some neat places! I absolutely don’t think kids have to have a garden at home to gain an appreciation for gardening and and understanding of food sources — sounds like you had a great range of outdoor/nature experiences for them!
Thanks, Kristin! It’s amazing how many awesome outdoor experiences are available anywhere – although we were extra lucky to have lived in some breathtakingly beautiful areas! 🙂
I love exploring nature with my kids, though I often find myself wishing we lived right in the middle of the forest. Great reminders that we can find nature almost anywhere we live. We started square foot gardening last year, and we love it!
Thanks for your comment, Erica! I’ve always thought square foot gardening would be great – it’s wonderful that you’re doing it! 🙂
that picture of the kids with their grampa is priceless:) love it.
Thanks, Suzannah! I love that photo, too – we have so many awesome memories at my parents’ farm.
I love these ideas! Fortunately we have a modest backyard that is proving hospitable to my meager gardening, but before moving in the house, I always lived in apartments and definitely took advantage of houseplants, growing tomatoes and herbs in my stairwell. It’s great that you were able to explore so many other avenues, especially your parents’ gardens. My mother is an uber-gardener, and we’re looking forward to exploring the expansive flower beds she has while our own won’t be quite as robust.
Thanks, Ana! And I love your ideas for gardening and exploring nature anywhere! 🙂
I love that you have found ways to connect with nature despite less than ideal conditions for gardening! I also love your corner of the world. I have had many a lovely hike in Cheyenne Canyon. It’s so very beautiful there!
Thanks, Melissa! We have definitely been blessed in where we’ve lived. The beauty of the area more than made up for the lack of good gardening conditions! 🙂
It’s so true — there are many ways to connect to nature even if your surroundings aren’t arable. I loved visiting my grandparents’ house in the mountains of Colorado and seeing the cactus plants and unusual (to me) desert-like plant growth. My grandma somehow still did manage a million planters and a large vegetable garden, and now I’m belatedly wondering how on earth she did it! I’m guessing lots and lots of irrigation. 🙂
Thanks for your comment, Lauren! I’m impressed with your grandma’s efforts. Of course, there are some places in Colorado that are great for growing plants, but I’ve never lived in one of them! Of course, it’s fun to find alternatives, too! 🙂
Wow, you have lived in some beautiful places!! Sounds like your children have a wonderful foundation for a lifelong love of nature!!
Thanks so much, MJ! I was lucky that our environment did much of the work in that area! 🙂
I work at an incredibly urban school (new York) and we struggle every year to get the kids interaction with nature in a meaningful way. Your experience here is really valuable. This year we tried by creating a green rooftop garden and getting wooly pockets (check them out if you’re in an urban school). Any help and experience on that front is incredibly useful to us. Black hills looks amazing!
Thanks, Fernando! Working at an urban school definitely creates challenges in providing experience in nature. Your ideas of creating a green rooftop garden and getting wooly pockets are great, though! 🙂
I love how you didn’t let a little thing like an inhabitable garden stop you getting out there and creating a love of nature for your children!
And how lovely they were able to experience some hands on food growing with their grandparents.
Thanks for sharing such an interesting post; over here in the rainy UK, the idea that you couldn’t grow *something* is quite unbelievable – we may fuss about the rain a lot, but at least it’s easy to grow most crops 😉
Thanks so much for your kind comment! My kids were definitely lucky to have grandparents who were so willing to give them hands-on gardening experience!
When I lived in England for a year and a half, I was definitely amazed at the way plants can grow in England compared to the Black Hills and much of Colorado! Where we live has 300 days of sunshine a year – wonderful in so many ways except for growing lots of green plants!