Whether you’re new to this or you’ve got a green thumb,
Stuck for gardening ideas? Well, we’ve got some!
Make your own compost and grow your own fruit,
Look in the pond and you might find a newt!
Grow your own fruit and vegetables
What could be more rewarding than seeing the literal fruits of your labour in the garden? Courgettes are great for children to grow as the large seeds are easy to sow and they germinate in about a week. Carrots, tomatoes, strawberries and radishes are also ideal and kids will love seeing the finished product!
Make your own compost
When fruit and vegetables or dead plants and leaves rot, they eventually turn into soil material called compost which is great for the garden! You can buy composters or use a plastic dustbin with the bottom cut out to make your own ‘composter’. Encourage the children to collect the garden waste and over time they can watch it turn to compost! This is a fantastic activity for teaching the little ones about the importance of recycling.
Create a leaf scrapbook
For this, you’ll need a carrier bag, some Pritt stick, pens and a scrapbook of their choosing! Find some fallen leaves that have no holes or tears and aren’t too dry or scrunched up. Once collected, sort through your stash and choose the best ones. Glue the leaves into the scrapbook and name them using the help of a common trees guide. This one from the BBC is handy! See if you can add to this every month to look back on seasonal changes!
Make a hanging basket
Hanging baskets are a beautiful way to brighten up the exterior of your house. You can find empty hanging baskets in garden centres or a pound shop. Fill with soil and colourful flowers – you can find some great inspiration on Pinterest! This is a lovely activity for children as they can see quick results rather than waiting for something to grow.
Plant some seeds
From getting their hands mucky to seeing little sprouts appear, kids will love the whole process. Just buy some seeds from your local garden centre or supermarket. You can measure your seedlings every week to see how much they have grown, then plant them in your garden once they are ready!
Make a worm farm
Fill a glass jar with 4 alternate layers of sand and soil, (sand/ soil/ sand/ soil). The soil layers need to be about 3 times as thick as the sand layers. Leave a gap of about 2 inches of space at the top of the jar. Now the fun bit! Find the worms! Put in the worms and then add some potato peelings, overripe fruit and old tea leaves as a final layer. Put a few holes in the jar and then watch to see what happens over the next few days as the worms wiggle around!
Go for a dip!
If you have a pond, you’ll be amazed at what wildlife lies within its waters! Use a net to lift out wildlife and place your finds onto a tray filled with water. You could find frogs, dragonflies, newts and more! Check out our super helpful pond dipping guide for tips.
Make a miniature garden
Remember doing this when you were a child? Use a metal or plastic sweet/biscuit tin and fill with soil. Then add miniature flowers such as daisies and forget-me-nots. Twigs can be used to create mini trees and foil, a piece of mirror or a small tub filled with water can make a pond. Let their imaginations run wild and choose bits and pieces from around the garden to create their mini version! If you want to use seeds/plants with roots, put some holes in the bottom of the tin, fill with a single layer of stones then top up with soil. This will provide some drainage, allowing plants to grow and the garden will last longer!
Make potpourri
Something to keep the kids occupied and also make your house smell nice – a win-win situation! Collect fragrant petals and leaves from around your garden. Ideal things to look for are rose petals, lavender, mint leaves and basil leaves. Lay them out on a few pieces of kitchen roll and leave to dry (this can take up to a week). Once they are dry, cut a circle of thin fabric, place the petals and leaves inside and tie up with a piece of ribbon!
What have you been up to? We’d really love to know! Someone else might love it, and really want to give them a go! If you’ve got ideas, suggestions or reviews, you can shout all about it on whatever channel you choose!
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