Rakhi takes us through the boon and bane of the pandemic. Gardening with her children was an interesting aspect of the lockdown. Here’s a new weekly column, beginning this Monday, exclusively for Different Truths.

Recently, we all had experienced a new way of working – ‘work from home’. It sounds easy and interesting because we were at home and working online. Many people still facing the same till today. It started since we all went under lockdown last year. Lockdown was the time when everyone locked themselves inside their homes. No one was going out except to buy essentials. We all were working from home. Kids were having classes online as per their school time. It was a new experience for everyone. No one had imagined this kind of lifestyle before.

We all were enjoying the relaxation. No early alarms, no rush in the morning, no traffic lights. Everything seemed so perfect and relaxed. No necessity of doing makeup, no hair styling, and of course no struggle to choose dresses for the next morning except for zoom meetings. Not to forget, an amazing experience of working in pajamas. Everyone was so excited at home with this new concept of working and learning online.

I was like a superwoman who was doing almost everything. Being a mum, between my breaks I was cooking and cleaning the dishes or doing other house chores. The online study was a new experience for kids too. So, helped them sometimes in their submission and making sure they have completed all the given tasks. It happened almost for fifteen days. Now there was a point, we all were wanting to go out. It’s monotonous to be at home, looking at each other’s faces. The whole day jumping from laptop to TV, from phone to iPad. No socializing and no shopping at all. it seemed a punishment for people especially those socializing or go for shopping almost every week.

I observed kids were on laptops or TV all the time which start making me upset. There was no physical activity in a day, only eating and sitting on computers for online studies and on TV to watch shows. This style was not at all healthy so, I started to involve my kids in the cooking and baking process. I asked them to do house chores like tidy up the rooms, clean the table, and putting things in the right place such as their books and toys. I found that these little things gave them a chance to explore new things and help them to show their creativity. Usually, we do all the things by ourselves by thinking let children study or let them play by themselves. But actually, kids enjoy and participate when we involve them in such activities.

One day, I thought let do something interesting with them which can help them to engage daily and they will also get a break from gadgets. I already had few seeds from last season and potting mix. So, I told my kids to do gardening. They were excited about this idea. I collected few empty milk bottles and yogurt boxes that could be reused. I involved them in cutting these bottles and boxes into pots to grow plants. They were surprised to see how I turned the plastic box into a pot. We also cut the milk plastic bottles into garden watering bottles by doing some holes in them. I told my kids not everything is a waste. We should reuse the material and can turn them into something useful. Reusable means we can reuse them differently. This way we could reduce the waste and save the environment and save money too.

Kids were excited when we were gardening. They wore gardening gloves and mix the soil and sow seeds. They kept the pots in a place and watered them. They got attached to gardening. I felt that this activity helped kids to develop their emotions and care towards those plants they have planted. I could see that they got a sense of responsibility to care for that plant. They were busy almost every morning and evenings watering them regularly until they’ve grown into a plant. They were thrilled to see a newly grown plant especially my little one. We grew mint, coriander, and flowers. It was fun for them to go into the backyard and plucking the coriander and mint whenever required. It helps to build their self-confidence as I could see that they felt so proud that they have grown these plants and how we use them for cooking purposes.

There are many activities in which we can engage our kids. I believe these kinds of activities make them active by doing physical activities. It also fascinates them to spend their time outside in the open air where they can feel and experience nature.

Photos by the author

Rakhi S. Jalota

Rakhi S. Jalota likes to write poems, quotes, and short stories based on life experiences. She reads anything that catches her eye and interest. She lives in a beautiful country New Zealand. She has more than a decade of experience in the education sector. Her passion is to bake cakes and dance in her free time. Being a fun-loving person, she loves to capture the moments on her camera.

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