A CHILD ’ S WORLD

have faith in the earth—and in themselves, by having to remember to water the plants when water is scarce. Te dirt in which my children play today holds nothing

of the sparkly treasures mine once did, but it does contain the kinds of treasure coveted by boys—toads, millipedes, and worms. Still, I wanted to add something more. Te answer was to create a magical hideout—to grow a fort. Our own fort was, for almost a decade, an exercise in

Top, left to right:

The fort’s humble beginnings. Black plastic ensures no weeds grow; trellis panels

form the heart of the fort, while twine ensures the bean vines cover the wall.

Center:

Daniel (6) and Josh (4) hide

during a round of hide-and-seek.

Opposite, top:

Josh is almost completely

hidden by the

leaves and vines of the fort.

Opposite, center:

Jack-and-the

Beanstalk seeds are the perfect size for little hands to hold.

C

failure. We tried to grow one of sunflowers, hollyhocks, and vines, before finally learning of a rare, heirloom vari- ety of green beans called Jack and the Beanstalk Snap Pole Bean. Tis bean, available through the online seed com- pany Seeds of Change (www.seedsofchange.com) [Seeds of

Change is out of stock, but Renee’s Garden Seed car- ries “Magic Beanstalk” seeds,

www.reneesgarden.com— Eds.], is impervious to dis- ease and pests, and grows vines up to 20 feet tall—and, like all legumes, it grows quickly, for almost instant gratification. By the time we finally

succeeded in growing a fort, my oldest son was 13, and big enough to help me drive the stakes into the ground with a hammer. He remem- bered, from forts he’d built in our living room with blan- kets, that the best ones have tunnels to crawl through before reaching the inner circle. To create this entry pas- sage, he stood two rectangular panels of trellis on their sides, parallel to each other, and secured with twine to the stakes. When the trellis, bean poles, and twine were in place, it was clear that this fort was already a hideout. While we worked, his little brothers crawled in and out

through the tunnel, and finally settled down at the center of the fort, where they sat awaiting the OK to turn on the hose. Teir treks had packed down the soil to create a hard floor of dirt. As I pushed seeds into the soil, the

mothering | May–June 2010 | digital bonus

boys followed close behind, armed with the garden hose, its sprayer dial set to Sharp. My oldest son guarded the spigot, ensuring that the hose would deliver only a trickle during the tender planting stage. Not ten days later, shoots were already spiraling out of

the ground. It seemed that every seed had sprouted—the beans grew as fast and furious as weeds. Within three weeks the vines were six inches tall, and any apprehen- sion about yet another crop failure faded. Soon, every inch of the trellises and poles was covered with vines. While my sons know that the fort is theirs, they soon

came to realize, as their hideout became home to other creatures, that they are only visitors there. Sitting at ground level at the fort’s center, they come face to face with toads, who like to sit under the vine’s big leaves. Te older boys have added to the population some “homeless” toads they’ve found elsewhere in the yard. Grasshoppers and may- flies are always hovering around, and the boys shove into jars Japa- nese beetles, so they can study the insects’ anatomy. When the vines put out white flowers, humming- birds fly in to drink the nectar. And in midsummer, we discovered

turtle eggs buried in the soil. When these creatures appeared, my sons’ visits to their

hideout changed. No longer do they run in and out of the fort, laughing and yelling “Tag—you’re it!” Instead, they crawl in quietly, whispering and looking at the ground to make sure they squish nothing. If Mr. Toad is in, they grab the hose and shower the beans, because “Mr. Toad seems thirsty.” Tey’ve learned that the best time to see the hummingbirds is just before dusk, that morning is the best time to pick beans, and that their shirts make great baskets to hold their harvest. What was once an overlooked patch of grass now contains an entire ecosys- tem of creatures that captivates all of our boys. Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109