With everything happening in our lives right now, our backyard farming plans have gotten off to a slow start. We had originally planned to have at least weeded the backyard and prepped a couple of patches of dirt to be built up into planters by now, but so far all we’ve done is buy the bricks to build the planters. I should point out, however, that getting a hundred 60-pound bricks home from the store is no small feat.

In the meantime, I’ve been letting the kids play a game called Farmville using my Facebook account. It lets you plant and harvest vegetables, flowers, and trees from the comfort of your computer screen. It also lets you decorate your farm with fun themed items. Right now I have a small cemetery on the corner of my farm, in celebration of Halloween.

Halloween cemetery in Farmville

In addition to my holiday-themed items, I’ve also got a little pond. Eventually I hope to add some buildings.

duck pond in Farmville

But mostly I just enjoy watching the plants grow. I especially like my cherry trees. They provide some nice pink contrast to all the green foliage.

cherry trees and rice paddies in Farmville

I time plantings so that the kids can do the clicking for me. During the week this means choosing plants that will mature right around dinner time. During the weekends I’ve got more flexibility. As far as educational value, both the kids and I are enchanted by the depictions of little bell peppers, egg plants, and wheat stalks. But mostly I’m just glad it’s keeping them excited about the prospect of working in their own garden.

Categories: Facebook, gardening, kids and parenting
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