Thank you to Heart & Mind's Cora Matthews, MSW, for providing tips about how to use plants therapeutically to celebrate National Gardening Day.
1) After planting seeds/seedlings talk about growth. What does the plant need to grow and what do you need for growth? This is a good segway into...
2) How our environments impact us. When plants get what they need, they grow tall with strong roots, but if they don't get what they need, they may not grow as tall or colorful. And just like different plants need different things, we humans might have different needs too. Some plants need lots of sun, some people need lots of hugs. Some plants need less sun, and some people need less hugs, but they still need sun and we still need hugs.
3) Use plants to practice positive statements about plant/self, and explore how that makes you feel giving your plant compliments and how the plant might feel. Example, you are still working on sprouting and I will wait patiently for you, you are worth being patient. Or Oh, look at you, you did it, you sprouted up, it might have been hard but you did it! Go you!
4) Talk about growth and change taking time and patience. Just like the seed did not sprout overnight, your child will also need lots of support, met needs, and love to sprout, change, and grow. So just like you can't force the plant to grow any faster, neither can we force our children to grow any faster than they can. But we get to choose the kind of gardener we want to be.
ABOUT NATIONAL GARDENING DAY
"National Gardening Day on April 14 is a day of encouragement, a day created to give gardeners a shove and a shovel so that they can begin their gardening journey. Weather permitting, gardening has always been an endearing task for patient lovers of the great outdoors. A good gardener plans years ahead as they shape the nature that surrounds them according to their vision and needs. With National Gardening Day arriving during Spring, it’s a great chance for you to warm up your green fingers and get planting and preparing for the summer. Our gardens are a unique space, use this day to get out there and make the most of them." For more information about National Gardening Day, visit https://nationaltoday.com/national-gardening-day/.
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