We may not currently have a baseball season or soccer season, but the good news is that it’s gardening season! That means it’s time to roll up your sleeves and play in the dirt. If you’ve been searching for a way to get the kids away from technology and engaged with the real world, gardening is the perfect activity for the whole family to enjoy. Not only is it fun, but it’s also beneficial for your kids’ development. For example, gardening can improve your children’s analytical abilities. As Dr. Wendy Matthews says, “Gardening exercises important reasoning, initiation, planning, and organization skills.” Furthermore, several studies, including one at Texas A&M University, suggest that gardening improves a child’s attitude toward fruits and vegetables and may make them more likely to choose them as snacks. Gardening helps kids identify with where their food is coming from, and nothing tastes better than a freshly picked strawberry or pea pod they grew themselves. Jack Gilbert, a scientist at the University of Chicago and a parent himself, and his co-author, Rob Knight, emphasize the health benefits of garden time in their book, “Dirt Is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child’s Developing Immune System.” The two found that exposure to different microbes, like those found in a garden, strengthens a child’s immune system and makes them less likely to develop allergies. If this is your first time gardening, you don’t need much to get started. Grab a few shovels, a pair of gloves for each family member, and fresh potting soil, and you’ll be set. Then, you can decide together which plants you’d like to grow! Carrots are fun because of the surprise factor — just imagine your child discovering that the part they eat grows HEALTH BENEFITS OF FAMILY GARDENING GIVE YOUR KID THE GIFT OF A GREEN THUMB
BUILD BETTER HABITS EXTRA TIME IN THE MORNING? If you’re like most Americans, you’ve probably been spending a little bit more time at home recently. In March, as social distancing recommendations roll out across the country and increasing numbers of Americans find themselves working from home, you’ll likely find yourself with a little more than your usual allotment of time to get ready for the day. If you’re like many people and have struggled your whole life to build a flossing habit that sticks, why not use the extra time in your morning routine to form a new habit? In his book “The Power of Habit,” Charles Duhigg identifies two things that you need to form a new habit: First, you need a simple and obvious cue. Second, you need a clearly defined reward. Since most of us already take care of our oral hygiene in the bathroom, ask yourself what you could put in that room to remind yourself to floss. Something as simple as a blank sticky note on your bathroom mirror would do the trick just fine. Every time you see the sticky, you’ll be reminded of why you put it there: your commitment to building a flossing habit. For some people, just seeing the amount of gunk they clean out from between their teeth is enough of a reward to build a habit around. Others might need to focus on picking out a favorite flavor of floss or, with kids, on filling up a sticker chart that hangs on the bathroom wall. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you choose as a cue or a reward. What matters is that you have both of those elements. At Anderson Dental Care, our hope is that we can all use any extra time we have as a way to care for ourselves just a little more thoroughly. Remember, habits aren’t formed overnight and real change takes time. But if you can take even just one step today to start working toward a lifelong flossing habit, that will be one good thing that comes out of this. To learn more about oral hygiene, visit our education corner at AtownDental.com.
below the ground! Peas are tasty and fairly easy to grow, as are strawberries. The options really are endless. Depending on the growing season in your area, you can choose to buy seeds or opt for rooted plants. Last but certainly not least, the best part of gardening as a family is the healthy, fresh produce you’ll get to enjoy all summer long!
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