Keep Your ADHD Child Stimulated With A Garden of Unusual Vegetables
Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with new activities to keep your child with ADHD stimulated. If you’re struggling for ideas, maybe it’s time to think outside of the box. Kids love corn on the cob and are fascinated by beans (they love to sing that famous song about beans and flatulence). So why not give your child with ADHD a veggie project to keep him occupied and intellectually stimulated?
Tell him he’s going to have his own plot in the garden this year and grow Peruvian plants. He’ll say, “What?” because he never would have thought of this activity.
He’ll be super curious about Peruvian plants because after all, no one he knows understands this topic. He’ll be so interested he’ll research them on the internet; he could become an expert in no time.
This is how you lay seeds for the future with your ADHD child. You never know, he could grow up to be a botanist, an expert on agriculture, or a Master Gardener. In the meantime, for the gardening activities to be a success he will have to harness the energy that is scattered in his brain from the ADHD.
Getting Started
All you need to do is give your child the seeds to start. Peruvians are known for their non-GMO foods, which are a plus for anyone’s health, including everyone in your family. Seeds are available at www.rareseeds.com under ‘Peru’ in the ‘Seeds From Around the World’ section.
You could try...
Peruvian Black Corn – Kulli Corn is so rich in anthocyanins that when you soak the kernels of these cobs, the water turns deep purple. Peruvians use that water to make a beverage that’s very popular with locals. (It sure beats Kool-Aid, doesn’t it?)
In natural healing, deep purple, deep blue and deep red-colored fruits and veggies are great for reducing inflammation and preventing cancer. This crop takes a whole 5 to 6 months to grow, which gives your child plenty of time to research the thousands of types of corn the Peruvians have.
Chuspirunto White Corn – This is a large-kernelled corn that would do best if you lived in southern parts of the U.S.
Peruvian Chullpi Corn – This corn produces large kernels good for popping. It’s different to the popcorn most Americans are used to, because the middle stays meaty but the outer part puffs up. Also unexpected is the toasted flavour. Like the other types of corn, chullpi corn requires a will take a southern climate and about 150 days to harvest.
Yurackallhua Incan Giant Corn – Corn kernels as big as a penny? You bet! This corn plant grows super tall and takes a minimum of 150 days to mature. People will come from miles away to see your garden if you grow this corn. The kernels are chewy and mealy and very filling -- kids can’t even finish a third of an ear of this corn!
Urabamba Giant Lima Bean – Lima beans named after the country’s capital because the beans have been grown in the country for hundreds of years. Many of ‘real’ Peruvian foods emanated from the Urabamba valley. These are best grown in the south and take about 150 days to mature.
Learning about and growing these unusual vegetables can keep your ADHD child busy for hours on end. Why not give it a try?
