Put gardening and learning together

Gardening comes with spring, and young children love dirt and the outdoors. Young children can learn many skills from being introduced to gardening. Colors, textures, and sorting skills can all be a part of gardening activities for young children. The variety of leaf shapes can also be observed when children have the opportunity to explore plants.

St. Patrick's Day on March 17 is an ideal opportunity to introduce your child to "green" activities in the garden. The Children's Garden in Sarasota is celebrating this holiday with a shamrock hunt. There will be a hidden shamrock in the garden and a special prize will be offered for the lucky person who finds it. The shamrock hunt is for all ages, so bring your children and enjoy the hunt. The Children's garden is located at 1670 Tenth Way in Sarasota.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota also has an opportunity for children to explore and learn about gardening. The Kids' Corner at the botanical gardens is an interactive gardening space that is filled with books about gardening, puzzles, planting activities, and garden crafts for kids. It's a climate controlled area and open seven days a week for gardening fun. The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is located at 811 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota.

A unique learning opportunity is coming up in April for Arbor Day. The Children's Garden is sponsoring a Hug-A-Tree program from 2-3 p.m. on Arbor Day. Children will have the opportunity to participate in a nature walk to identify a variety of trees. Crafts with trees will be available. A special reading of her book "Isaac and the Bah Family Tree" will be offered by local author Adrienne Abiodun. Bring your children for an afternoon of learning about trees.

All of these educational opportunities for introducing gardening to your young children will add to their interest in the outdoors and the many hours of fun that gardening can put into their life.