Clippings by brent_in_nova - My Clippings

I used to feel this same way. I have one boy 8 yrs old and I used to be sad that he didn't love gardening more. So I got more creative. Here are some ideas:
-We did a batman garden in a whiskey barrell planting all things black (black pansies) and put a big plastic bat man in the middle of it.
-I bought him a chart of the "bad bugs" which became the enemy for him to explore and destroy.
-We released lady bugs, praying mantises which we hatched in the house in a jar then released.
-Edibles esp. strawberries and grapes are a big hit, chocolate mint, spearmint to put in drinks, snapdragons that talk, edible nasturtiums.
-One year I left a garden box empty except for dirt so he could dig while I gardened.
-I found a wooden beat up playhouse that I tucked in the corner in the garden and planted snail vines all over it. It had bars in the open windows, I told him it was a jail house and he and his friends would play in there arrest each other with handcuffs for hours (so I could garden).
-Boys love stinky things :) and I found some really stinky repellent plants that ward off rabbits-the kids loved those and he showed all of his friends so they could pick them and yell EWWWWWW!
-We went door to door one year and he and his friends sold our veggies really cheap to neighbors and he got to keep a portion.
-I know someone who did an "Owie" garden with aloe for boo boo's, chamomile for chamomile tea and upset stomach.
-Then there were some days when he wasn't interested and destructive like you mentioned and I had already spent most of my day doing the kid stuff and I'd just say "mom's gardening for one hour what will you do where I can see you?"
Anyway, it was more selfish than anything because I wanted to garden so bad I had to make it appealing!

There's hope! Now he's 8 1/2 and we just moved to a new house on a few acres. He helped his dad put every screw in the garden boxes, fill them with soil & fertilizer (after sliding down the truck load delivered pile of compost and manure with his friends thinking it was cool to smell like manure 'is this really poop?), he helped pick out all the plants and seeds and planted them all. I gave him his own space and a few things died because he didn't water and I had to bite my lip because I feel like he's old enough to take a little responsibility for something he worked so hard on (although it's been so hot I shoot them a little water when it needs it once a day).

Good luck to you! It's fun to hopefully put the gardening spark in them and see if catches.