As promised we have a guest writer with us today but before I get to that I wanted to show you something...
I am learning to be creative in the ways I show you how wet its been around here. We had only 200% of our usual rainfall in May...
We are expected to get what would be our typical June rainfall in the first 4 of June! Yes as of tomorrow we will have had our fill for the whole month.
Actually I have had more than my fill...
As has my garden, the kids, the camel and the wagon!
So on that cheery note...
May I introduce to you Rebecca Sweet from Gossip in the Garden blog. If you are wanting a little garden inspiration this is the blog to visit...seriously cool stuff over there!
She is a professional Landscape Designer who is also a mom. A gardener mom that just so happens to have been featured in Fine Gardening...more than once! Her blog post 'Through the Eyes of Babes' was brought to my attention by our first guest poster Susan from the Blue Planet Blog. I loved it instantly as a mom, gardener and someone who adores to take lots of photos I appreciated the encouragement to look through the eyes of our children! Rebecca graciously agreed to let me share it with you here!
Thanks you so much Rebecca!
Through the eyes of babes…
Emily,
my 14-year old daughter, was able to spend a month in the south of
France this Summer, staying with both sets of her best-friend’s
grandparents who live in the villages Aix En Provence and Tholet.
Her father bought her a new camera for her birthday, and I pleaded with her to take lots of photos of French gardens for me. While it was hard for me to say goodbye for so long, I was selfishly excited to see what photos she would bring back.
Upon
seeing the slideshow (all 958 photos….) I was absolutely speechless at
her creativity and her artistic viewpoint. But most of all I loved
just seeing what SHE thought was interesting. (you can view her ‘pared
down’ slideshow below)
This got me thinking….I wonder what my garden looks like to kids of all ages?? So, I asked some neighborhood kids (ages 4, 7, 12 & 16) to come over on different days, take my camera and shoot away. No rules, no guidelines, no time limits, nothing. Just the instructions to take photos of whatever they thought was ‘cool’. (okay – one rule – to please use the wrist strap at all times…)
Here are the results.
Logan – age 4
The biggest challenge with a 4-year old is to get them to SLOW DOWN. Logan’s first 20 photos were really blurry as he was so busy running all OVER my garden – like a hummingbird racing from flower to flower. While his mother and I were busy chatting away, I noticed that on his own he naturally began to slow down and to really focus on what he was looking at – kind of like he was in his own world. All of a sudden, the photos began to take on a whole new look: very artistic, very specific, and full of things that would naturally catch a little boy’s eye – balls, bees and spitting fountains.
Tyler – age 7
Tyler was a bit more serious, taking his time, not saying much. What was very interesting here was that of the 24 photos he took, all but 1 were of succulents. This is a boy who knows exactly what he likes – no fancy flowers, no flashy foliage – symmetrical succulents ONLY.
Julia – age 12
Julia was the only child who ventured into the front yard…all the rest stayed in the back. She seemed to like anything that looked like animals (donkey-tail succulents) or WAS an animal (poor, caged canary) – you can tell she’s an animal-lover! Julia also took lots of really bright flower combos – she obviously likes bright colors!
Amanda – age 16
Now you’re seeing photos taken at all KINDS of angles – very ‘avant-garde’! She seemed to notice the ‘details’ of the garden, and how by just tilting the camera (or your head) an item takes on a whole different perspective…
The conclusion? If you’re creating a garden to appeal to your children – just give them a camera! They’ll tell you EXACTLY what they like (without even meaning to). Garden ‘bling’ seems to be their number one favorite thing (balls, statues, fountains), with succulents a close second. This is such a fun project – perfect for the ‘jaded’ gardener, as it gives you a new perspective – something we all need at times!
*****
Thanks Rebecca! I am going to hand over my camera this week to my 7 year old and see just how she sees her world. I encourage those of you with kiddos old enough to operate a camera to do the same. Come back next week with a photo or two to share with us that you little one has taken in the garden!
Here is this weeks link up...
