Parenting Hack Using Magna-Tiles In The Garden

Need the perfect tool to measure the appropriate distance between plants? Want a way to get your kids involved? Are you ready for this amazing parenting hack?! MAGNA-TILES are the answer!!

Today, my kiddos and I had a blast planting our new raised bed garden with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow peppers, mint, lettuce, and Italian basil. 

Using Magna-Tiles is a great way to help children visually understand measurement in the real world. Not to mention, children love using Magna-iles. This creative method is way more fun than using a ruler over and over again!  Each Magna-Tile square measures a 3-inch length and width. So if you make a 6 by 6 Magna-Tile square, that would correlate to 18 square inches, making it easy to space out plants correctly. We added another row of Magna-Tiles to the middle to space out the planting into two rows, giving the plants an additional three inches of room to thrive. Our raised bed garden measures 4×8 feet, giving us adequate space for 12 plants. 

In the raised garden, we planted 4 plants each of cucumbers, yellow peppers, and cherry tomatoes. We planted the spinach, mint, lettuce, and Italian basil separately in different large flowering pots. 

Having a perimeter of Magna-Tiles visually makes it simple for young children to know exactly where to dig giving them more independence in the project. It’s a great way to allow young children to feel a part of something in a big way.

If you haven’t started your garden yet, grab some Magna-Tiles and get the kiddos involved! Happy Earth Day!

Gardening Tips:

• Look for local Amish farms in your area as they often offer affordable plants and valuable gardening advice. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we could purchase four small plants for just $1.50. Our haul included cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow peppers, mint, lettuce, and Italian basil, all for a mere $9.00! If I had known it was so inexpensive, I would have started a garden much sooner.
• Before using Magna-Tiles, measure the garden bed and map out or draw a blueprint of the garden bed. My kids and I skipped this step and had to change the dimensions three different times. 
• When transferring plants to the garden, cut a slit into the side of the plastic containers to gently remove plants instead of pulling from the stem base. This will help avoid damaging the fragile roots of the plants.

🫑Hungry for more gardening fun?! Keep reading for an additional gardening parent hack on how to get your kiddos to eat more veggies!🥕

DOUBLE Gardening PARENT HACK! Do you struggle to get your kiddos to eat vegetables?! 

Introduce GARDEN POWER: One of the most effective ways to encourage your children to eat their veggies is by planting a garden together. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of space; even a large flower pot will do the trick.

Engage Your Kiddos in the Planting Process:

Involve your children in the entire gardening journey. When kids feel included in the process, they tend to be more open to eating the variety of vegetables. Additionally, it will help them understand that food doesn’t magically appear in grocery stores.

Sneaky Strategic Placement is Key:

Location, location, location: To encourage daily maintenance and snacking, make sure to place specific tools near the garden, such as simple items like a watering pail, a bucket, and a pair of scissors. For instance, I attached a adhesive wall hook to the side of a large flower pot where we grew lettuce and hung a pair of child’s scissors. I taught my children the “cut and come method,” which involves harvesting the outer lettuce leaves while preserving the center crown. If you’d like to see a visual demonstration of this technique, take a look at the YouTube video, “Maximize Harvesting Lettuce With The Cut and Come Again Method.”

The Magic in Harvesting Freedom:

Make it clear to your children that they are allowed to cut off lettuce (or any other fruit or veggie) anytime they are playing outside with no restrictions. Surprisingly, after providing my sons with this newfound freedom and teaching them about the “cut and come” method, they willingly consumed a significant amount of lettuce while playing outside. It’s fascinating how they moan and groan at the sight of lettuce on their plates, yet happily devoured it when given the opportunity in the garden. On a hot summer day, remind them of the garden after you have watered it. The cool and wet lettuce leaves will be even more refreshing and satisfying in the heat.

A Solution and a Secret:

Not only is this a magical way to get your children to eat more vegetables, but it also alleviates the need to make salads every night to prevent food waste. By allowing your children to participate in the garden and pick their own fruits or veggies, you create an exciting and interactive experience that fosters a positive relationship with healthy foods.

With these double garden parent hacks, you’ll “hopefully” witness your children happily munching on veggies and developing a lifelong appreciation for gardening and nutritious eating.

❤️Super Secret: Full transparency, this hack works on most of our family crew. The youngest and pickiest eater is still warming up to the idea of lettuce, but we are hopeful. Let’s see what happens when those juicy grape tomatoes are ready to harvest. Fingers crossed!

Best Fruits and Vegetables to Grow with Children

When it comes to gardening with children, it’s great to choose fruits and vegetables that are easy to grow and are more child-friendly. Here are a few options that are generally easy to grow and appealing to children:

1. 🍅Cherry Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are small, sweet, and easy to grow in containers or gardens. Cherry tomatoes are easy to pick and eat right away.
2. 🍓Strawberries: Strawberries are a childhood favorite. They can be grown in pots or hanging baskets, and kids enjoy searching for ripe berries to pluck and eat.
3. 🧑🏻‍🌾Radishes: Radishes have a quick growing cycle and can be ready to harvest in just a few weeks. They come in different colors and shapes, making them visually super cool to look at.
4. 💚Snap Peas: Snap peas are fun to pick and eat straight from the garden. They have a sweet taste and can be grown on trellises or along a chain-link fence.
5. 🥒Cucumbers: Cucumbers are durable and fast-growing. Cucumbers are fun to harvest and are fantastic to use in salads, sandwiches, or refreshing cucumber water.

Happy Gardening and Bring on the Healthy Habits!

💡For more Magna-Tile ideas, click on Boost Creative Thinking by Designing a Magna-Tile Mansion for a creative way to merge existing toys for play. Check out Showcase Your Magna-Tile Masterpiece on Garage Door Canvas to have fun with Magna-Tiles in a BIG way! ⭐

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