You'll notice on the entrance page of the BBC site a section, "Science for Kids," which teaches them how vegetables sprout. In fact, as you explore the BBC site, it opens up into many delightful ways you and your child can enjoy gardening together.

     And, at a different site, you'll find another science program called "Out, Out, Damp Sprout":

http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/showbiz_science/
showbiz_science007.shtml

GETTING MUDDY WITH THE KIDS

     “Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water-bugs, tadpoles, frogs and mud-turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in. . . .” You may not be able to supply all of these, but you and the kids can have some great times in the back yard. One of the simplest and best ideas is to get muddy: spray a dug-up but unplanted section of the vegetable garden with the hose, and let the kids have a glorious time playing in the mud. Next stop, bathtub.

     And JENNIFER LANCE has more good suggestions for you about gardening with children:

http://jenniferlance.greenoptions.com/2007/05/23
/green-family-values-10-tips-for-organic-gardening-with-children/

THE A TO Z CHALLENGE FOR KIDS

     What a delightful site! The true adventure of "one seven-year-old boy named Freddie and his mother as they face the challenge of turning him from a Vegetable-Phobic into a boy who will eat and even enjoy some of life's leafier pleasures. Join us as we work through the A to Z of vegetables!" When I first got there, Fred had tried asparagus, aubergine (eggplant), artichoke, broccoli, beetroot, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, beans, and broccoli. He was working on the C's, such things as courgettes (summer squash), carrots, and celeriac. By the time I made a second trip to the site, Fred had worked up to the Ps. He and his mother deserve an award for persistence.

     You'll be pleased to know that Fred is still a normal British boy, and one of his favorite ways to eat beetroot turned out to be in chocolate cake. A recipe for a delicious chocolate cake with grated raw beet is included, of course.

http://www.greatbigvegchallenge.blogspot.com/