Sharon Lovejoy in her book Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots stated “Long before there were doctors and pharmacies, hospitals and nurses, people turned to plants for their medicinal needs.  Many of these green medicines are still used today.”  Even as medicine  changed, herbs continue to be the mainstay of folk medicine as ideas on plant healing are passed down from one generation to another.  Herbs can provide young children with many exciting opportunity to experience real life basic science concepts.  The following are some activities that have been adapted from Lovejoy’s book.

Infants: Dream Pillows – Aroma therapists and herbalists recommend the sweet blended fragrances of herbs and flowers for calming sleep.  Have the children work together to collect the following herbs.  Then let them mix together dried lavender flowers, lemon balm leaves, fennel and dill seeds.  Help them to fold a piece of fabric over and glue the sides together around the herbs.  This can be put in-between a fitted sheet and mattress or placed inside a pillowcase for an older child, to induce a calming sleep or to help ward off bad dreams.

Toddlers: Tummy Tea – Herbalists use the healing, anesthetic menthol of peppermint tea to soothe upset stomachs and indigestion.  Let the toddlers scoop 2 or 3 teaspoons of peppermint leaves per cup into a tea ball, and place it into a teapot.  An adult should add boiling water to the teapot.  Let it steep for 8-10 minutes, cool before giving it to the toddler and encourage them to sip slowly for gentle relief.  To sweeten the tea a little sugar can be added or ice cubes to make a refreshing ice tea in the summertime.

Preschoolers: Planting The Herb Garden – Let the children help you plant the herb garden. Planting the garden should start in June after the threat of frost has passed, and the temperature is over 55 degrees. Herbs need sun to grow well, so make sure the garden gets at least 6 hours of sun daily.  Encourage the children to help rake the surface of the garden and pull out clumps of grass and weeds, let them dig down and loosen the soil to a depth of about 6 inches and add about 2-3 inches of peat moss to keep the weeds down and keep in the moisture.  Have the children make plant markers for the garden with wooden tongue depressors, using waterproof acrylic paint for the labels.  Start the garden with the following six or seven fragrant herbs: lavender, lemon balm, peppermint, sage, basil, fennel and dill.  As the children are planting, let them pick a leaf or two and rub it between their fingers to smell the odors and taste the flavors.

Rachel Carson said in her book A Sense Of Wonder said, “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement.” Sharon Lovejoy agreed with her and added that “All knowledge is rooted in wonder, and what better place to cultivate wonder than in our own gardens.”