You don’t need a massive space to be able to introduce the idea of gardening to your children. Whether you have a big garden or a few window boxes at your disposal, here are some activity tips and lovely product ideas to encourage your child’s green fingers.
1. Children are endlessly fascinated by water, so why not buy them their own small watering can so that they can feed the plants. Adult-sized watering cans tend to get too heavy for little ones to lift so something like this from the
Notonthehighstreet.com is ideal, starting from £9.50 plus 3% KidStart saving.
2. Teach your children about seeds by collecting them from common foods such as apples, lemons and avocados. Help your children plant these seeds in small pots so that they can observe what happens. Avocado stones are fascinating if you place them in a small glass with water underneath, the children can watch the roots take shape .
3. Plant some easy-to-grow things such as mint and other common herbs. Children will enjoy being able to pick the leaves and smell the delicious scent. Herbs such as mint demonstrate how we use plants as foods so allow your children to pick things such as mint leaves to include in salads, on potatoes and in teas.
4. Digging for worms and making worm farms is a fun activity that allows children to explore and get mucky!
5. Making
bird boxes is another way of getting your children interested in the garden or balcony. You can either purchase a pre-made bird house or make your own. You can combine this with making food for the birds by mixing seeds and suet together in a warm pan and leaving it to set in a mould (such as an old can). The resulting solid block can be strung up near the feeder to attract the birds. Don’t forget to keep your bird ID book handy!
At Notonthehighstreet.com bird boxes start at £18.99 plus 3% KidStart saving.
6. Understanding the seasons and weather are important aspects of gardening, so a project such as this, for making your own rain gauge, will help children connect with these concepts.
7. Weeding the garden is a great activity provided your kids are clear on what are weeds and what are not! Some plants and flowers are toxic so get your child into the habit of wearing gardening gloves.
8. Bigger children may enjoy dead-heading old flowers provided they are responsible enough to use secateurs and you both know where on the stem the old flower heads need to be cut.
9. Planting bulbs is always a favourite with children as they can dig holes in the soil, plant the bulbs and watch in awe as the shoots appear a few weeks or even months later. Kids could even plant the bulbs in a special shape such as their initials.
Notonthehighstreet.com offers seeds and bulbs sets starting at
£9.95 for a coffee plant.
10. Flower and leaf presses are useful for preserving garden treasures and learning about different tree and flower species. The flattened leaves and flowers can be used in craft projects and scrapbooks too!
Bird Boxes