It’s so much more than sowing a seed
I have a 2 year old, a lovely, boisterous, inquisitive, life giving son. He, like most 2 year olds, is a whirlwind of energy and emotions.
We recently began the seasonal sowing of seeds for our veg garden. Whilst he flung soil from the compost to every corner of our yard I tried to remain in a zen state, “I can sweep it up afterwards, he needs this more than I do right now” I thought to myself. My little sensory seeker needed the earth on his hands… and in the air in that moment.
Later I said to my husband, I feel like we’ve really set something for the future today. Hair dishevelled, yard upside down and a happy, content toddler tucked up in bed.
These were my thoughts…
When we teach a child how to sow a seed, we should realise there’s so much more than poking a seed into soil and adding water. The holistic experience is not to be overlooked. It needs to be a moment to honour for what you’re setting in motion. You’re changing a little life forever.
It teaches a skill to last a lifetime. How to look and to really see. Each time that little seed is tended to, it changes and with it a new level of mastery to our child’s experience.
It teaches resilience as they work alongside Mother Nature... not always a symbiotic relationship. Frosts, winds, baking sun, no rain, too much rain... every day is different.
It teaches a child to be creative. Problem solving how to tend to a seed will often require a thought process they’ve not come across before. The ability to think ahead but also be totally in the moment.
It teaches how to nurture something other than a person. Taking ownership of growing a living “something” and fully nurturing it gives such a sense of life and purpose.
It teaches our children skills to pass on to their children. It’s not a quick process each time they tend to their plant. Through the repeated motions of tending to a living plant, they build and strengthen neural pathways for a lifetime.
It teaches them to play the long game. Seeds may germinate in a few days but the plant takes much longer to develop. In a society of “quick fixes” growing plants is the antithesis.
It teaches them to use their bodies, their brains and their hearts. Pouring love and time into their garden teaches them how to connect with nature, other beings, ourselves and our earth.
It teaches them to connect with a community. Folk who’ve sown seeds for generations, who’ve learnt to live with Mother Nature. They can ask and learn the ways of our elders. Skills not written in books but passed on through spoken words.
They’ll connect with you. Their guiding light. Their first teacher. Together you have an opportunity to create life and with it a connection so precious. Gently giving them the words, the actions and helping them to be proud of their achievement.
Their bodies will move, their hands touch the earth, their feet manoeuvre the ground and all the while carefully negotiating the shoots of green life coming up from below. Some may get trampled but nature is strong and those shoots will find a way.
Each time they learn how to tend to their plant, they learn the tiny differences each day brings. Each seed is so unique and with it the way they need to care for it. This knowledge, this sticky learning, these skills are building a future of awareness which are so needed right now.
Go out, plant a seed but don’t forget about it. Care for it, love it and see how it grows. Your earth and your child will thank you.
Lorna
Mother, nature lover, seed sower and founder of Kith Homestead
