Saturday 15 August 2009

Strawberries, Dinosaurs and a New Word

Earlier in the week, despite the drizzle, my Little Garden Helpers and I headed outdoors to plant up the strawberry bed we had started to dig at the weekend. After recovering from his 'home brew virus' Garden Dad had dug the other half of the bed and broken up the soil as best he could. Then he handed over the project and left the planting in the capable hands of Garden Girl and Garden Boy.
They dug with trowels and hands, they tested the quality of the soil by throwing it over themselves, they filled holes with compost and water and mixed it up well with their hands. They carefully placed the plants in the muddy mixture, making sure to eat any strawberries on the plants before they went in. Then feeling satisfied with a job well done they embarked on a dinosaur hunt amongst the raised beds.
Finally, feeling tired and hungry after all their great adventures with swooping pterodactyls and roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex's they helped themselves to some juicy red tomatoes and a few not so juicy green ones. Garden Boy received a quick lesson from Garden Girl - 'No Garden Boy. Not the green ones. If you eat those you will be ill. Eat the red ones. Like this one. No. That one is mine. Pick your own. No Garden Boy. The red ones. Yes thats right. Mummy, Garden Boy picked a red one. Isn't he clever?.'

I gave Garden Boy a deserved 'well done' and in response he pointed to a red tomato and said 'yum yum' then pointed to a green one and said 'green', then he picked and ate the red one. I was so proud of his new word and understanding of colours I jumped around until I was accused of acting like a kangaroo. But it goes to show just how much a toddler can learn in the garden.

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