I feel very strongly that kids really do need to get outside and grow. Research amongst 4-8 year olds revealed that less than 10% of children can name an English apple! That 73% of children had never grown a sunflower and only 6% had ever eaten a pea from a pod!Based on this evidence, it is perhaps unsurprising that only 20% have ever eaten a vegetable they’ve grown themselves.
It is proven that a childhood spent outdoors helps children to grow up healthier and happier, but new research shows that gardening and picking apples has become a pastime that’s as antiquated than hopscotch. Whilst 87% of British households do have a garden, it’s clear growing isn’t something that families do together. Over half of British children between 4 and 8 are unable to name 5 vegetables or fruits grown in this country, with 95% unable to name 3 herbs. Many of those couldn’t identify basic gardening tools, with only 8% able to identify a trowel, 80% never having seen a rake before and, worrying, 79% believing worms are bad for plants.
“Gardening as a skill, is being forgotten. Parents worry about their children getting the odd scratch which is where My Little Sudocrem comes in because it’s a great multi-tasker for gardeners. But we can’t simply blame over-protective parents, children need to be persuaded that getting outside and growing is more fun that an iPad or watching TV,” says Alice Bamford, Sudocrem brand manager.
“There are undoubtable benefits for a child’s development when it comes to learning about growing their own vegetables. It’s about re-educating families to get outside and grow, together,” says Phil Woolfe from Clifton.
Of course there’s potential a big money saving opportunity from growing your own too. The likelihood you’ll waste food you’ve grown yourself significantly drops and you’ll only grow the foods you actually enjoy. Plus you can keep planting seeds from your home grown produce, so your initial seed set is a real investment!
So what can you win?
I’m delighted to work with Clifton and Sudocrem to giveaway a lovely goody bag worth £40 full of stuff to get your little ones growing their own.
Get Out And Grow Goody Bag With Sudocrem Giveaway
Disclosure – This post was written in collaboration with Sudocrem and James’ goody bag was gifted.
