When planning a garden, we often don't think that children will want to be a part of it. Adults usually approach their gardens as a structured project with defined sections: edible, herb, flower, etc.

But what if you asked your kids to help with this year's garden? And what if you not only invited them to help, but also you made it easier for them to help plan, plant, tend and harvest the garden?

Gardening is a fantastic family activity. You might be surprised to find that you can learn as much about nature from your children as they can from you.

There are a slew of great garden craft and planting books available for young gardeners and their adult helpers. Many of these resources provide ideas on how parents, grandparents and other adults can encourage and foster a love of the dirt and nature in children.

The first step to gardening is usually the planning. Brainstorm with your child on what type of plants to plant. Let your imaginations run wild! While adults tend to follow a pattern in planning, children usually have no such strictures. Their ideas can be refreshing and can help adult gardeners rethink their ideas about beauty, companion planting and design.

A good way to get your child interested is by planning a theme garden. Choose together a theme, maybe one focusing on a special interest. A favorite book or movie can be the basis for a great theme garden.

For example, a Wizard of Oz garden would include a bed of poppies, a yellow brick path and a scarecrow. Plants that have odd shapes, sizes, colors and aromas would be perfect for a Harry Potter garden.

Create your own zoo by planting a garden with plants that have animal names. If your child loves animals, they might enjoy bee balm (Monarda didyma), catnip (Nepeta cataria) and lamb's ear (Stachys bysantina).

Planting flowers that are red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet will help your child learn the colors of the rainbow. If you have room for 26 plants, consider planting an alphabet garden. Children will enjoy finding plants that begin with the letters of the alphabet and making unique signs for each plant.

A sensory garden will help children become aware of their senses. Textured plants such as woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) will provide something to touch. Fragrant plants such as chocolate mint (Mentha piperita) will awaken their sense of smell. Tall grasses blow in the wind and are music to the ears.

Once you settle on a theme or a direction, the next step is to make the planting and tending more appealing to children by providing them with tools and structures that are on their level. The National Gardening Association Web site (www.kidsgardening.com) and its magazine, Gardening With Kids, has some great ideas for kid-friendly planting structures and tools of the trade.

Furnish your shed or tool chest with kid-sized watering can, tools and garden gloves. If you are worried about children mucking around in the main family garden plot, create some raised beds or an area that is designated just for junior gardeners.

Another great gardening "tool" is to introduce children to the biological community within the soil and the garden at large. Insects such as worms, ladybugs, honeybees and spiders can be your greatest asset in piquing a young child's interest in gardening. Create homes and havens for these critters and your children will likely be interested enough in their behavior to stay focused in the garden itself.

A household vermi-composter, an outdoor compost heap, and nectar and larval plants can be educational and fun for children to observe throughout the summer.

Visit Phipps' Discovery Garden and collect ideas for your garden by romping through our bird garden or getting up close to Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula) in the bog garden. Watch butterflies flitter by in the butterfly garden or get lost in the hedge maze. Use your imagination and make your garden a place the whole family can enjoy!