Make a daisy chain
In my mind, this makes me think about lazy sunny days on a grassy lawn, picking daisies together and creating garlands, necklaces and bracelets to wear for the rest of the day! In reality, my little one gets a bit frustrated trying to make the tiny holes but maybe in a few years, she’ll be able to do it!!
Make your own compost
When dead plants and leaves rot down, they turn into soil material called compost which is great for the garden! You can buy plastic composters or use a plastic dustbin with the bottom cut out to make your own ‘composter’. Get the children out collecting the garden waste and over time they can watch it turn to compost! This is a fantastic children’s activity for teaching the little ones about the importance of recycling.
Make a hanging basket
At this time of year, you can grab an empty hanging basket from a garden centre or a pound shop. Fill with soil and colourful flowers and your hanging basket will look beautiful! This is a lovely activity for children as they can see quick results rather than waiting for something to grow.
Plant some seeds
Get some seeds from a garden centre and watch them grow. 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!
Grow a pizza!
Using a grow bag or some mid-sized tubs plant tomato, basil and onion seeds/ plants and grow to create your own pizza toppings!
Make a miniature garden
Remember doing this as a kid? 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 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, fill with a single layer of stones then top up with soil. This will provide some drainage and allow plants to grow and the garden will last longer!
Become a bug detective!
Using a magnifying glass set off on a hunt around the garden! Look under leaves, under stones and dig near garden walls/ fences. See how many creatures you can find- ladybirds, beetles, woodlice, worms! Take photos or put into plastic pots with leaves and soil and take inside to draw them as a record of your findings! (Remember to put the bugs back after and never put them in the same tub otherwise they might fight!)
Make pot-pourri
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!
