Children love getting their hands dirty and can spend hours making mud pies in the garden. Start them young and watch them grow with a love of gardening. Following is a simple gardening exercise that you can get your child and his friends to work on during vacations, as shared by gardener Arthur Felding. He calls this a "rootin' tootin' potato".

For this, all you need are: A couple of sweet potatoes, some toothpicks and a cup of water.
" Stick the toothpicks in the middle of the sweet potato.

" Immerse half of the potato in the water cup with the aid of the toothpicks to keep it upright in the water.

" Place this on a windowsill where you get maximum sunlight. This will enable it to grow roots. Choose a planter with a plastic (transparent) window so that they can see the roots grow.

" After a few days in the sun, you will see stems sprouting on the top. You can then get your child to plant it in his favorite corner in the garden, preferably during spring or summer.

Alternatively, you can choose from ornamental varieties of sweet potato and coleus, cuttings of which can be used.

Floral arrangement
Do you want to make this gardening exercise more colorful? Then this fun floral arrangement is just the thing for you!

You need: A medium to big-sized potato, Drinking straws of different colors and flowers from your garden.

" Cut away about a quarter of the potato lengthwise so that it forms a flat base that can be rested on a surface.

" Make holes in the potato and poke different colored straws into them. Fill the straws with a little water.

" Cut off the stems of the flowers so that they are long enough to sit well inside the straws. Mix and match the flowers with the colors of the straws.

" Voila! You have a unique floral arrangement!

If you like Gardening....These pages might also interest you:

Allium Directory, Amaryllis Directory, Begonia Directory, Crocus Directory, Daffodils Directory, Dahlia Directory, Hyacinth Directory, Iris Directory, Lily Directory, Tulip Directory

Also see:

A Love Affair With Gardening, Charming Camillias, Firescaping, Gardening for the Family, Garden Rodents, Garden Catalogs, General Gardening Tips. Gardens in the Shade, Hot Summer Cool Garden, How to Plant Leeks, Involve Your Children, Outfits for Gardening, Photograph Your Garden, Plant Care Basics, Using Leaves as Compost, What to Avoid Buying Guide, Cheap Garden Ideas, Creating Garden Berms, Garden Fragrances, Garden Lessons, Gardening for The Challenged, Gardening is Great, Gardening Math, Gardening Tools, How to Use Peat, More About Gardening, Love affair with Lilacs, Organic Gardening, Slow Down and Enjoy, Smart Plant Shopping, Tips for Beginners