It is National Children’s Gardening Week from 25th May-2nd June 2019 and to help you join in the fun, here are some ideas to get little ones exploring and learning in the great outdoors.
Bug Hotel
This can be made on a large or small scale and is great way of recycling dry waste. For a large-scale bug hotel, gather 3 or 4 wooden pallets and stack them on top of each other. Make sure there is space between each ‘floor’. Have little ones gather twigs, bamboo canes, pine cones, grass and any other natural waste. Place and stuff the materials into the holes so that some is hanging out, this will help bugs and insects crawl in. If you want to, pop some plants or turf on top of the pallet to make sure this hotel gets 5 stars!
For a smaller option, take the ends off tin cans or plastic water bottles, fill them up with sticks, twigs, grass etc and wrap some twine around them so they can hang up. Alternatively, you can leave them on the floor near plants to get crawlies that need a rest.
Check in your guests every so often and ensure they are having a lovely stay. Kid’s love creepy crawlies and this could be a prime chance to teach them about the importance of them.
Recycle some wellies
Children can grow rather fast and we can feel conscious of our waste when chucking out old clothes and shoes. So turn those old wellies into something fun! Due to the materials they are made from, most wellies are waterproof on the outside and are pretty resilient, this makes them a perfect place to plant flowers in! Drill a couple of small holes into the bottom of each boot for drainage and fill up the boot with compost and soil. You could replant some growing flowers or sow some seeds in the top. Why not also paint them fun colours to extend playtime!
Make a terrarium
This project will be great for older kids and younger ones alike. If you have any old jars or glass bowls, line them with pebbles, stones (great if you have any leftover decorative aggregates from another project!) or broken crockery. This will help with soil drainage. Then fill ¼ of the jar with potting soil and a few more decorative stones. Cactuses and succulents work well for this so pop one or two into the habitat (depending on space). Also, these types of plants need less attention, great if the small person wants it in their bedroom!
Old Junk Garden
Like the wellie project, this is good for old waste such as old bread bins, sets of drawers and unused bins. Drill holes into the bottoms of the new planters to allow for drainage and pop some plants in the way you normally would. You can arrange this ‘junk’ to be its own little area in the garden and like the wellies, you could paint them and really bring it all to life.
Pond Life
If you have a pond or a water feature, the chances are it will require a clean and any fish you have will need to be checked on. Take this opportunity to involved younger and older children to get involved and learn about the environment they live in. If you’re thinking of introducing fish to your pond, have the kids pick the fish and make them feel part of the process.
We have so much more on our website for children including growing kits made for kids and garden games for when the sun is out. For nature orientated little ones, we have a large range of wildlife food and bird care, you could encourage them to make notes and keep up to date with the animals that visit the garden. If your space is limited, we have these balcony planters in stock.
Explore our gardening range on Original Organics.
