kids

It’s very difficult not to fall in love with succulent plants like CAL Farms 20 of 2″ Beautiful Assorted Variety Succulents. They are cute. They are easy to maintain. They require very little of your time. They bring you luck (according to the Chinese, anyway). They thrive indoors or outdoors. They provide better air circulation to a room. Whenever a room or an office needs a little oomph and edge, we will think about putting a small plant on a side table or on the corner of the room. But most regular plants would require plenty of water and sun every single day. Succulent plants are amazing in such a way that it could survive for days without so much as a drop of water or a glimpse of sunlight.

That’s why these are also amazing plants for stay-at-home parents who, aside from taking care of the plants and the household, have to deal with the presence of children in a once peaceful home. Kids can’t help it; they are drawn to things that would attract their curiosity and their interest. Little cactuses with spikes and thorns would naturally work like magnets to these little kids. And that’s the problem. They could get hurt by a mere touch of a cactus or even a rosette. They could even be allergic to some plants and that would pose a major problem, of course.

Talk to Your Kids

Most kids recognize the tone of your voice when you are angry, happy, and dead serious about your commands and requests. If your kids can crawl or walk, chances are they can be talked to as well. Tell them why they should not touch the plants and how this could affect their playtime. Tell them that the plants could hurt them because some varieties have thorns and spikes. And if they are injured, how could they play with their friends? How could they enjoy their new toy?

Provide a Diversion

Some kids tinker with things they should not even touch because they are bored. Create a diversion by handing them their favorite toys. If you see that they are about to go to your succulent area, immediately try to divert their attention away from the plants and to the toys you’re handing them. Kids have a very short attention span. All you need is a variety of toys and activities that could occupy their time. They will forget about seeing the succulents in no time. This is also the reason why you should not put the succulents in areas that your kids can easily reach.

Teach Them How to Take Care of the Succulents

Why not allow them to take care of the succulents? As mentioned above, these plants are the easiest plants to maintain. It would be nice if your kids could learn how to plant greens at an early age. Explain to them how the succulents help keep the air inside the house clean and how these are great decorations for any homes or offices. Instead of always trying to keep them away from the plants, you can incorporate taking care of them in their daily activities.

It doesn’t matter if you live in a big house with a humongous garden space or in a small condominium unit with your window sill as the primary source of “gardening.” You have to teach your kids how to appreciate succulents.

Do you know that many kids these days think succulents are not real—that they are some kind of decorative item that do not grow? Not teaching or orienting your kids about succulents could be the biggest catastrophe of your life, especially if you want to integrate both of them in such a tiny space.

Imagine living in your apartment with your kids and having succulents like CAL Farms Beautiful 36 of 2″ Assorted Succulents there. Who will take care of the plants when you’re not at home? Who will decide where to put the plants? Taking care of succulents is a learning process for you and the kids. To better teach your kids the art of succulent planting, you need to understand it yourself, too.

Make the Kids Responsible for the Succulents

If you have been given succulents as a gift, make your kids understand that it’s important to take care of things given to us. It shows that we value the gift giver, especially if the gift happens to be a living thing—in this case, a succulent plant. You have to oblige your kids to water the plant and move it to a place where it can get direct sunlight. This task should be done every day or according to the schedule the succulent needs water and sunlight.

Let your kids know that they are responsible for the life of that succulent. It will teach them discipline and to follow a schedule. Give them a reward whenever the succulent is looking healthier than usual.

Let Them Read About Succulents

There is a lot of “luck” associated with succulent plants. This makes them an interesting plant to have at homes, offices, schools, etc. Let your kids learn about succulents the old-fashioned way—by reading about them. Who knows, they may even love the idea of growing this plant and bringing them over for show and tell.

Reading about succulents will enable the kids to learn about the different types of succulent plants there are, as well as proper way of taking care of the plants.

Teach the Kids How to Plant Succulents

When they know how difficult it is to grow succulents, they will be more appreciative of the plants they see in and out of your homes. Kids will learn the importance of growing and maintaining these plants when they are the ones who planted them in the first place. By teaching them the proper and various methods of planting succulents, you are essentially making them a part of the life cycle of these plants. This makes them feel connected to the plants in a way thus, allowing them to care more for these succulents than the usual. Instead of simply requiring them to care for it, why not give them the responsibility and eventually, the care and the love for the plants will come naturally.

Preventing Your Kids From Playing With Your Succulent Plants