Kids and Yard Art

Kids love to personalize and embellish their gardens with fun and interesting items. They add signs they made, rocks and junk they find, whirligigs or such that they ask for at the store, and more. They enjoy these decorations and it makes the garden uniquely theirs. It adds fun and a magical touch as seen through their little eyes.

Many things that adults see as "tacky" in garden ornamentation is actively sought after and deeply loved by children. Ornamentation such as a flock of pink flamingos, the complete ceramic set of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, brightly painted ceramic mushrooms and frogs, plastic statues or bugs, pink doll furniture, a group of gnomes, etc. are items of beauty in the mind of many children. These make the garden a place they want to play and spend time in. It removes the idea that a garden is just to work in and no more.

I know we all want gardening to be fun and enjoyable for our children. We want them to take pleasure in their gardens and to learn to love gardening. My son enjoys learning when he interacts with the plants, insects, yard art, etc. much more so than if he was only allowed to plant and weed. Playing in his garden allows him to learn so much more than textbooks will teach him about his world.

Now back to yard art. What can be learned from yard art?. There are many ways to learn from yard art. Much of it depends on the item and the child, so lets explore a bit.

Making yard art teaches creative thinking (design, color, planning, construction, how to display, etc. If it doesn't stand up when it's finished, a new lesson can be learned as to why. Then solving the problem becomes the next lesson pursued. Making yard art develops interest in painting, carpentry, ceramics, engineering, and more. Some ideas for projects can be found on my Kid's Project page.

Finding items to display is another creative skill. It develops creative thinking (how can I use this found item in the garden?). It teaches recycling by using what is on hand for new purposes such as using rocks for borders and making bird feeders out of soda bottles. And it develops an eye for what is or can be pleasing and useful such as using a piece of log as a bench or driftwood as an ornament.