Getting kids into gardening isn’t just about flowers and vegetables; it’s about curiosity, confidence, discovering the joy of growing something with your own hands, and a lot of mud being traipsed through the house. A lot of mud.

Honestly, I have two teeny budding gardeners in the family,, and let me tell you that the right tools and supplies really do make all the difference, turning muddy little experiments into... well, into genuinely satisfying projects that my kids can be proud of (plus, imagine my 18-month-old trundling a baby wheelbarrow around the patio? The photos take themselves, quite frankly!).

So, what do they really need? Well, to be honest, you can upcycle; old cutlery makes for great lightweight tools, just as an empty bottle can work as a watering can (in a pinch). Still, there's something to be said for investing in kid-sized trowels, watering cans, and gloves that actually fit, if only to make them more excited about getting out in the garden.

Of course, it's not all about the swag, either; easy-to-grow seeds, like sunflowers, cherry tomatoes, or native wildflowers, are ideal for grubby little gardeners in need of a lesson (or three) on patience and responsibility. And colorful markers, plant labels, or a small journal for observations? Why, they a) add a splash of fun and b) set you up for hours of immersive learning.

Whether it’s digging in the backyard, tending a windowbox, or experimenting with indoor seedlings, then, here's our pick of the best kids gardening supplies on the market right now.

The Best Kids Gardening Tools

The Best Kids Gardening Stations

The Best Kids Gardening Kits

The Best Kids Gardening Seeds

With the right supplies, gardening becomes a gateway to confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of nature. Kids learn about patience, responsibility, and the importance of caring for living things – all while having a blast.

I'm willing to bet that every seed sown will wind up being a tiny lesson in growth, resilience, and joy, proving that the best lessons are often the ones that... well, that get a little muddy. Hey ho!

Scavenger hunting with kids or adults is a fun way to celebrate Halloween, the fall and the outdoors before the weather really turns. If your family is skipping trick-or-treating this year, a scavenger hunt for Halloween is a safe alternative. 

Fall and Garden-Themed Scavenger Hunts for Kids

Sending kids on a scavenger hunt is a great way to get them outside and keep them active and occupied. Give kids a list of things to find that they can easily pick up and bring back, for instance a red leaf. 

This kind of fall garden scavenger hunt can be educational as well as fun. Challenge kids based on age and ability. Depending on age, the kids can do the hunt alone or with parents along. Here are some ideas: 

• Use a list of colors that kids can match to outdoor items like leaves, pine or fir cones, feathers, flowers, acorns, pebbles and more.
• Make a list of plants to find. This can be scaled up or down in difficult. For example, little ones can find evergreen needles, while older kids can search for spruce versus pine needles. 
• Instead of trick-or-treating, send the kids out to take pictures of Halloween themes and decorations, like ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and skeletons.

A Spooky Halloween Scavenger Hunt for Adults

Adults enjoy scavenger hunts too, and you can make a Halloween list that’s more challenging and even a little scary. Send teams or individuals out to find tricker items. For gardeners, make a list of specific fall plants, or create riddles that must be solved in order to find the item. 

Or, make a creative scavenger hunt more open to interpretation. For instance, look for natural things that are spooky, like a tree that looks like it has a face in the bark, a spider web, a gnarly branch or stem, a pure black rock, a ghost-shaped leaf, a dead flower blossom, a black feather.

Of course, no scavenger hunt is complete without a prize. Make it a race to see which team can come back first with all the items and reward the winner with Halloween candy or a healthy treat.

Growing a children's recycled garden is a fun and environmentally friendly family project. Not only can you introduce the philosophy of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" but repurposing trash into recycled planters for kids to decorate can also spark your child's love of gardening. In short, it helps them develop ownership of the food and flowers your family grows.

Tips for Making a Recycled Garden with Kids

Recycling in the garden with kids is all about finding ways to reuse ordinary household materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill. From milk cartons to yogurt cups, kids and recycled containers naturally go hand-in-hand.

Creating a children's recycled garden helps your kids see how the disposable items they use every day can have a second life. Here are a few of the many items which can be made into recycled planters for kids to decorate and use:

• Toilet paper tubes – Make a biodegradable pot for seedlings by cutting 1-inch (2.5 cm.) slots in one end of a toilet paper tube. Fold this end under to make the bottom of the pot. No need to remove the seedling at transplanting time, simply plant the tube and all.
• Plastic food containers and bottles – From fruit cups to milk jugs, plastic containers make wonderful reusable planters for seedlings. Have an adult make several drainage holes in the bottom before using.
• Milk and juice cartons – Unlike toilet paper tubes, beverage cartons have thin layers of plastic and aluminum to prevent leakage and should not be planted directly in the ground. With a few drainage holes poked in the bottom, these cartons can be decorated and used for starting houseplants and garden seedlings. 
• Paper cups – From fast-food beverage containers to those disposable bathroom cups, reusing paper cups as one-time seedling pots is doable. Whether or not they should go in the ground will depend if the coating is wax or plastic.
• Paper pots – Craft paper pots by rolling a few sheets of newspaper or scrap paper around the sides of a tin can. Then fold the paper around the bottom of the can and secure it with tape, if necessary. Slip the tin can out and reuse it to mold the next paper pot.

More Ideas for a Children's Recycled Garden

Gardeners often think of disposable items when recycling in the garden with kids, but many everyday items which children have outgrown or worn out can find a second life among the veggies and flowers as well:

• Boots – Use a drill to make holes in the soles for whimsical boot flower or veggie planters.
• Socks – Cut old socks into strips and use them for tomato ties.
• Shirts and pants – Stuff outgrown clothes with plastic grocery bags to make child-sized scarecrows.
• Compact discs – Hang old CDs around the garden to scare birds from ripe fruits and veggies.
• Toys – From trucks to cradles, repurpose those broken or unused toys into interesting patio planters.

Every parent knows that it’s best to keep the kids busy and a fun, educational project is making casts of animal tracks. An animal tracks activity is inexpensive, gets the kids outside, and is easy to do. Plus, making animal track casts or footprint molds is a great teaching opportunity, so it’s a win/win. Read on to learn how to make animal track molds.

Materials for Making Animal Track Casts

Only a few materials are needed for making casts of animal tracks:

• plaster of Paris
• water
• plastic bag or container
• something to stir with
• bag to bring the animal footprint molds home in

Optionally, you will also need something to surround the animal track to contain the plaster of Paris as it sets. Cut rings from a plastic soda bottle or the like. A small shovel will be handy as well to lift the set animal footprint molds up out of the soil. 

How to Make Animal Track Molds

Once you have all of your materials together, it’s time to take a walk in an area with animal track activity. This can be a wild animal area or area for domestic dog walking. Look for an area with a loose, sandy soil. Clay soil tends to lead to broken animal footprint molds.

Once you locate your animal tracks, it’s time to make casts. You will need to work relatively quickly, as the plaster sets up in about ten minutes or less.

• First, set your plastic ring over the animal track and press it into the soil.
• Then, mix the plaster powder with water in a container you brought or in a plastic bag until it is the consistency of pancake mix. Pour this into the animal track and wait for it to set. The length of time depends on the consistency of your plaster of Paris.
• Once the plaster has set, use the shovel to lift the animal casts out of the soil. Place in a bag to transport home.
• When you get home, wash the soil off the casts of animal tracks and cut off the plastic ring.

That’s it! This animal track activity is as simple as it gets. If you are going to a wildlife area, be sure to arm yourself with a book on animal tracks to aid in identification and, of course, be safe!

It’s hard to be grateful about the good things when one big thing after another goes wrong. If that sounds like your year, you aren’t alone. It’s been a pretty bleak period for many people and that has a way of putting gratitude on a back shelf. Ironically, this type of moment is when we need gratitude the most.

Since some things are going right, some people have been kind and some things have turned out better than we hoped. One way to remember this – and teach our kids the importance of gratitude in the process – is putting together a gratitude tree with kids. If this craft project interests you, read on.

What is a Gratitude Tree?

Not everyone is familiar with this enlightening craft project. If you’re not, you may ask “What is a gratitude tree?” This is a “tree” parents create with their kids that reminds the whole family about the importance of counting blessings.

At its core, a gratitude tree project consists of writing out the good things in your life, the things that have gone right, then displaying them prominently so you don’t forget them. It’s more fun for kids if you cut paper into the shape of leaves and then let them write out something they are thankful for on each leaf.

Children’s Gratitude Tree

Although we shower our kids with love and gifts these days, it’s also important to teach them our core values, like the need for gratitude. Making a children’s gratitude tree is a fun way of encouraging them to think about what they are thankful for.

You’ll need bright colored craft paper to get started, plus a bare shrub cutting with lots of branches to which paper gratitude leaves might be attached. Let your children pick out the colors of leaves they prefer, then cut them out, one by one, to attach to the tree.

Before the freshly minted leaf can get taped or stapled to a branch, they have to write on it one thing they feel thankful for. For children too young to be able to write themselves, a parent can put the child’s idea onto the paper leaf.

An alternative is to get a copy of a simple sketch of a tree without leaves. Make copies and let your kids decorate them, adding reasons they are grateful to the tree leaves or branches.

Thanksgiving Gratitude Tree

You don’t have to wait for a national holiday to make a gratitude tree with kids. Although, some holidays seem uniquely suited to this type of centerpiece. A Thanksgiving gratitude tree project, for example, helps the entire family remember what the holiday really means.

Fill a vase half full of small rocks or marbles, then poke the bottoms of several bare branches into it. Cut out paper leaves, such as six for each family member. Each person chooses six things they are grateful for, designs a leaf with that thought on it, then hangs it on a branch. 

We've all felt it. The winter stir crazies, and it seems harder for energetic, active children to be stuck indoors when the weather is foul. Stock up on some supplies and develop some creative winter garden crafts. With a little planning, your little ones will have plenty to do and you will have their artwork to treasure.

Fun Garden Crafts for Winter

Winter gardening crafts for kids help them pass the time until the sunshine is back, and the plants are blooming. It is also an important teaching opportunity. Kids can learn about different plants, foods, and bugs. Kid's winter crafts are also a great family activity in which all ages can participate.

• The holidays are coming and that means time for wrapping paper. Collect any leaves that remain or press some in fall. Paint these and press them gently onto tissue or other paper for homemade wrapping paper. You can also gather pinecones, paint them, and roll them over the paper for an interesting squiggly pattern.
• Use those pinecones and roll them in glue and glitter. Attach sisal or twine to the cone and decorate the tree with the kid’s crafts.
• If you have houseplants, have children take a cutting and place in a glass of water to make a new plant. They can also start seeds in toilet paper rolls or a mini propagator.
• Get an amaryllis or paper white bulb and set up a little terrarium. The beautiful flowers should start arriving in just a couple of months.

Outdoor Garden Crafts for Winter

Not everything has to be for the indoors. Winter garden crafts can also be used to spruce up the yard.

• Save some popsicle sticks and have children get creative making plant ID tags for the spring vegetable garden.
• Help your young ones mix up some plaster of Paris. Provide containers and pour the mixture into them. Children can add shells, rocks, and other items or simply place a handprint in the center. When spring comes, these make personalized steppingstones or outdoor décor.
• Have children go find rocks and provide them with weatherproof paint. They can turn these into lady bugs, beetles, bees, and more. These kid's winter crafts will last for years and provide a lasting memento of a winter's day inside snug and warm.

Other Kid's Winter Crafts

Winter gardening crafts can extend to planning the garden.

• Give children a seed catalog, safety scissors, paste, and a big piece of paper or poster board. Have the kids select foods they would like to grow and plan the garden. They can decorate the placement of their food with grass borders, trees, bugs, flowers, and anything else they dream up.
• A fun way to teach children about the food cycle is to start a vermicompost station. All you need are red wigglers, shredded newspaper, and a shallow container. Keep a container inside to save kitchen scraps and have kids feed their new wriggly pets.
• Kitchen scraps are also a great way to learn about growing. Save the tops of carrots, onions, and other root vegetables and place them in a shallow dish of water. Soon the greens will sprout, and kids can have fun watching them grow.

Got a picky eater? Has dinnertime become a battle over veggies? Try indoor salad gardening with your children. This parenting trick introduces kids to a variety of leafy vegetables and encourages the fussiest eater to try new taste sensations. Plus, growing indoor greens with kids is fun and educational!

How to Grow an Indoor Salad Garden

Lettuce and salad greens are some of the easiest vegetable plants to grow indoors. These leafy plants germinate quickly, grow fast in any sunny southern window, and reach maturity in about a month. Follow these steps to learn how to grow an indoor salad garden with your children:

• Make it fun – As with any kid-friendly project, encourage creativity by having your children decorate their own indoor salad-gardening planters. From recycled milk cartons to soda pop bottles, any food-safe container with drainage holes can be used for growing salad greens indoors. (Provide supervision when children use sharp objects.)
• Seed Choice – Give your children ownership of this project by letting them choose which varieties of lettuce to grow. (When growing winter salad with kids, you can find seeds year-round at gardening centers or online retailers.)
• Playing in dirt – This kid-centric activity never seems to grow old. Before planting salad greens indoors, have your children fill their planters outside or cover indoor work areas with newspaper. Use a quality potting soil, which you've premoistened until damp. Fill planters to within an inch (2.5 cm.) of the top rim. 
• Sowing seed – Lettuce has tiny seeds which may be difficult for small children to handle. Have your child practice distributing seeds on a Styrofoam tray or purchase a mini hand-held seed pen for them to use. Sow seeds lightly across the top surface of soil and cover with a very thin layer of premoistened potting soil.
• Cover with plastic – To retain the moisture level needed for germination, cover the planter with plastic wrap. Check planters daily and remove the plastic wrap once seedlings appear.
• Provide plenty of sunlight – Once the seeds have germinated, place the planters in a sunny location where they will receive a minimum of eight hours of direct light. (When growing winter salad with kids, supplemental indoor lighting may be required.) Provide a step stool, if necessary, so your kids can easily observe their plants.
• Water regularly – When growing indoor greens with kids, encourage them to check the soil surface daily. When it feels dry, have them lightly water their plants. A small watering can or cup with a spout can keep spills to a minimum when allowing kids to help water.
• Thin lettuce seedlings – Once the lettuce plants have developed two to three sets of leaves, help your child remove individual plants to reduce crowding. (Use the suggested plant spacing on the seed packet as a guide.) Pinch the roots from the discarded plants, wash the leaves, and encourage your child to make a “mini” salad.
• Harvesting lettuce greens – Lettuce leaves can be picked once they become a usable size. Have you child cut or gently break off the outer leaves. (The center of the plant will continue to produce leaves for multiple harvests.)

Both my children naturally love being outdoors, but getting kids outdoors in the garden may not always be so simple. That's why finding fun ideas to make gardening easier can help. Here are some hacks for gardening with youngsters around.

Garden Tips and Tricks to Engage Kids

Gardening with kids helps teach them about nature and the world around them. Here are some tips to help get the kiddos outside and make gardening easier:

• Cinnamon, pepper, and sand: My son has a sandbox and it's one of his favorite places to spend the day. Cinnamon sprinkled into the sand helps keep bugs out and it also smells great! Another idea is to sprinkle a perimeter around the sandbox or garden area with black pepper, which is said to help keep ants out. Remember to reapply after a rain though. 
• Beans and sunflowers: Create a bean fort or sunflower house for the kids. This is a cute idea that gives children a fun and safe place to play or hang out in the garden.
• Nightlight plants: Covering planters with glow-in-the-dark paints creates fun nightlights when playing outdoors on warm summer nights, which my son enjoys doing when the lightning bugs come out. Great teaching opportunity for nighttime pollinators and garden animals too.
• DIY wind chimes: There are numerous ways to create interesting wind chimes to hang throughout the garden and outdoor areas. Each family member could even create their own and see what each comes up with. Some ideas include painting old keys or utensils. 
• DIY sprinkler: An old plastic soda bottle can be turned into a cheap sprinkler. This works in the garden and doubles as an inexpensive sprinkler for the kids. Poke holes into the bottle, use duct tape to attach to your hose, drape hose over something to make your sprinkler hang or lay in the grass and let it go.
• Sting free please: Yes, bees are important pollinators but sometimes it's nice to have areas kids can play safely without the worry of stings, especially if you have children with allergies. Old jugs filled with sugar water or apple juice will trap bees, wasps, and hornets. For us, wasps have almost always been the culprits. 
• Mowed road: If you have a large yard or just need a way to keep children entertained while you tackle the chore of mowing, you can mow fun ‘pathways’ in the yard. Children can play in one area while you mow another. 
• DIY plant markers: One idea to get kids interested in helping in the garden is allowing them to create their own garden plant markers. You can create these with just about any old item you find, such as spoons, craft sticks, twigs, painted stones, etc. Let them get creative and see what they can come up with. 
• Gardening with baby: A pack and play creates a shady outdoor space in the garden that's safe for babies. Just place a fitted sheet over the top; you still have plenty of air flow, it's free from bugs, and it gets baby outdoors. It allows mom to get out and garden too.
• Penny for your weeds: Pay kids a penny per weed (or dime or quarter based on age). Most kids are eager to do small chores for money and this helps you knock out a chore you may not be as enthused about. Be sure to supervise and help show them the proper way to pull weeds. This also helps with plant identification and learning what's a weed and what is not.

It doesn't have to be cold and rainy outside to want to find fun things to do with kids. Making cress heads is a whimsical craft full of charm and creative entertainment. Cress head eggs provide an outlet for children's imagination while instilling a love of growing and recycling. Cress head ideas are only limited by their inspiration and some fun decorative touches.

How to Grow a Cress Head

Cress seeds grow very quickly and are a magical way to show seed to food production in a truly short time. Once the plants have grown, they may be eaten, with the resulting "haircuts" as part of the fun! Some tips on how to grow a cress head will get you and your family on their way to enjoying this little growing project.

You can make cress heads in spent eggshells, coir pots, or almost anything else that can be grown in, including egg cartons. Using the eggshells teaches kids about repurposing items that would normally be thrown out or composted. Plus, they have Humpty Dumpty appeal.

Making cress heads is relatively simple by boiling, but should be supervised by an adult. You can dye the eggs or keep them white. Alternatively, you can pierce the shell with a pin and drain out the insides. Just be careful to wash the shell completely before planting or they could get aromatic in a couple of days. Be careful how you crack them, as you need just a little off the top in which to plant.

Cress Head Ideas

Once you have the shell containers, the fun part starts. Decorate each shell with a variety of items. You can simply draw faces on them or add glued on googly eyes, sequins, feathers, stickers, and other items. Once each character is decorated it is time to plant.

Thoroughly moisten cotton balls and place enough in each egg to fill them one third of the way. Sprinkle the cress seeds on top of the cotton and keep them moist by misting daily. Within a couple of days, you will see signs of sprouting.

By ten days, you will have stems and leaves and the cress is ready to eat.

How to Harvest Cress Egg Heads

After you have finished making cress heads and they have a good amount of stem and leaf growth, you can eat them. The best part is giving the eggs a haircut. Use sharp scissors and take off some stems and the leaves.

The classic way to eat cress is in an egg salad sandwich, but you can also add the little seedlings to a salad or eat them as they are.

Your cress will be fine without the leaves for a few days and look rather charming with their haircuts. When the plants stop growing, compost the plants and cotton. Crush up the eggshells and work them into the soil around plants. Nothing is wasted and the activity is a full circle teaching tool.

Craft projects for kids are a must, especially in winter when the weather is cold. Making a paper garden can teach children about growing plants or simply produce a refrigerator worthy piece of art. Plus, a garden out of paper is only limited by materials and imagination, so keep plenty of paint, yarn, glue, and other art supplies on hand.

Making a Paper Garden

Most parents are already brainstorming craft projects by late summer. You will need plenty of supplies and ideas to keep antsy little ones busy. Much of what you need can easily be saved, like acorns, twigs, pressed flowers, popsicle sticks, and anything else.

Paper flower crafts may also need colored construction paper and paper plates. Paper garden crafts could feature paper plants or simply cut outs from seed catalogs or magazines. Make sure you save up any items you envision for entertaining the kiddos.

Depending on how old children are, you can go with more complex paper garden crafts or keep it simple to a kindergarten level (or younger with assistance). The least dangerous (meaning scissors, although there are child safety versions available for use) is to use kid friendly glue and keep a stock of fun décor items.

Children can glue on their chosen plant and flower parts to a paper plate. String twine through a couple of holes a parent makes and hang the work of art for all to see. Have them paint or color the plate before adding 3D décor. The backing will add to the effect and is part of the fun of making a garden out of paper.

Ideas for Paper Flower Crafts

Flowers can be cut out of construction paper, made out of cardboard, or use buttons glued to the plate and petals are colored in. Even flower stickers should be pressed into use. Artificial flowers are another great option.

Craft or popsicle sticks make great stems, as does floral wire or real twigs from outdoors. Artificial Easter grass makes a great foil for the brightly colored flowers. Bigger kids may choose to cut out flower designs and glue them onto the surface.

Multiple colors of paper and different shapes make exotic, bright flowers. Use this time to teach kids about different common flowers such as pansies, sunflowers, and lilies.

Paper plants of all sorts can be part of the garden. A fun way to get children in on planning the paper garden is to cut out pictures of veggies from a seed catalog. Select what you want to plant in spring with kid's input.

Using a rectangle of construction paper, have them glue the plants where they would go in the spring and summer garden. This gives kids a chance to voice their opinions of what veggies they like. It is also a good time to instruct them on what each plant needs (sunlight or shade), when to plant, and how big plants will get.

Making a paper garden is a useful tool that is fun too. Kids will learn about nature and the food cycle, while enjoying time with crafts. 

Soil is one of our most precious natural resources and, yet it remains overlooked by most people. Gardeners know better, of course, and we understand it’s important to build an appreciation in children. If you have school-aged kids learning at home, try soil art activities for fun, creativity, and a science lesson.

Painting with Dirt

When using soil in art, try to get several varieties and different colors. You can collect in your yard, but you may also need to order soil online to get more range. Bake the soil in a low-temperature oven or leave out to air dry. Crush it with a mortar and pestle to get a fine consistency. To make art with dirt, follow these steps with the prepared soil:

• Mix a little soil into paper cups, either with white glue or acrylic paint.
• Experiment with soil amounts to get different shades.
• Use masking tape to adhere watercolor paper to a piece of cardboard. This helps the art dry flat without curling.
• Either paint directly on the paper with a brush dipped in the soil mixtures or outline a drawing in pencil and then paint.

This is a basic recipe for soil art, but you can add your own creativity. Let the painting dry and add more layers, for instance, or sprinkle dry soil on the wet painting for texture. Add elements from nature, using glue such as seeds, grass, leaves, pinecones, and dried flowers.

Questions to Explore While Painting with Soil

Art and science merge when kids create with soil and also learn more about it. Ask questions as you work and see what they come up with for answers. Check online for additional ideas.

• Why is soil important?
• What is soil made of?
• What creates the different colors in soil?
• What kind of soil is in our backyard?
• What are the different types of soil?
• Which characteristics of soil matter when growing plants?
• Why do different types of plants need different soils?

Exploring these and other questions about soil teaches children about this important resource. It may also lead to more soil art ideas to try next time.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants that uses water with nutrients in place of soil. It’s a useful way to grow indoors because it’s cleaner. Hydroponic farming with kids requires some equipment and basic knowledge, but it’s not difficult and teaches many valuable lessons.

Hydroponic Gardening at Home

Hydroponics can be a major operation, including growing food with hydroponic farms on a large scale, but also a fun home project that is simple and easy. With the right materials and knowledge, you can scale the project to a size that works for you and your kids. Here’s what you need:

• Seeds or transplants. Start with plants well adapted to and easy to grow in a hydroponic system, like greens, lettuces, and herbs. Order hydroponic starter plugs if starting from seed. This makes the whole process easier.
• Container for growing. You can make your own hydroponic system, but it may be easier to buy containers already designed for this purpose.
• Growing medium. You don’t strictly need a medium like rockwool, gravel, or perlite, but many plants do better with it. The roots of the plant should not be in the water at all times.
• Water and nutrients. Use prepared nutrient solutions for hydroponic growing.
• A wick. Usually made of cotton or nylon, this draws water and nutrients up to the roots in the medium. Exposed roots in the medium allow them to get oxygen from the air.

Hydroponic Farming for Children

If you’re not practiced at growing plants this way, start with a small project. You can simply grow some food or turn it into a science project. Kids and hydroponic farming make a great match for testing different variables like medium, nutrient levels, and type of water.

For a simple hydroponic grow plan for starting out with kids, use a few 2-liter bottles as your grow containers and pick up the medium, wicks, and nutrient solution online or at your local garden store.

Cut the top third of the bottle off, turn it upside down, and place it in the bottom part of the bottle. The top of the bottle will be pointing down into it. Pour a water-nutrient solution into the bottom of the bottle.

Next, add the wick and the growing medium to the top of the bottle. The wick should be stable in the medium but threaded through the neck of the bottle top so that it is dipped into the water. This will pull water and nutrients up into the medium.

Either place a transplant’s roots into the medium or situate a starter plug with seeds in it. The water will begin to rise while the roots remain partly dry, taking in oxygen. In no time, you’ll be growing veggies.

It is important to excite children about different types of science, and hydroponics is one leg of the practice that you can exhibit for them. Hydroponics is a method of growing in a liquid medium. Basically, you skip the soil. Sounds simple, and it is, but it takes a bit of know-how to make the whole setup work. Here are some hydroponic lessons that will make great projects for you and your kids.

Why Teach Hydroponics for Kids?

Homeschooling may be part of our regular lives, which means coming up with creative ways to demonstrate various ideas to our children. Teaching hydroponics provides a good lesson on where our food comes from as well as the botany of plants and the care for something living. There are many hydroponic activities for kids that don't cost much and don't need any special skills.

Children enjoy learning about Mother Earth and all her mysteries. It is a nice idea to show children where food comes from and how to grow it, as well as give them something fun and exciting to watch grow. Teaching hydroponics provides all these concepts and can be done with little expense. It may even give them a renewed appreciation for one of the old-fashioned and still valuable skill sets – gardening or farming.

Gardening has taken on an escalation of interest in our fast tech world and is a simple way of slowing down and taking a deeper view of life. Plus, it's still a science, although a traditional one, and is a great way to walk children through the steps needed for a plant to grow without soil to cloud up the process.

DIY Hydroponics

There are many hydroponic activities for kids that just involve usual household items.

One of the classic hydroponic lessons involves a plastic soda bottle, seeds, hydroponic growing liquid, and some sort of wicking. The idea is to provide the information that plants need moisture, light, nutrients, and a way for these needs to reach the seed and eventual plant.

In the bottle top experiment, you just cut the bottle top off, fill it with nutrient solution, place the wick in the inverted top, and start growing. The wick will bring up the nutrients and moisture to the plant which is situated in the upside-down top. This is a really simple DIY hydroponics setup that only needs some solution to get going.

Other Easy Hydroponics Lessons

Planning lessons in hydroponics for kids is a fun way to teach them about the life cycle. All you need is any item that can be suspended above the nutrient solution, some coir or other appropriate medium, and sometimes a wick such as rope or cotton-based fiber. You can simply use a bucket, mesh pots, and a lightweight growing medium, like perlite.

You also need to figure out how to suspend the mesh pots over the hydroponic solution in the bucket. Suggested items are metal clothes hangers or scrap wood. Once you have the system set up, plant seeds in the mesh pots filled with medium and suspend them so they are just in contact with the solution but not submerged. Place in a light, warm location and watch them grow.

Many children around the world are now schooling full-time without leaving their homes. A great way to keep kids busy and learning is involving them in autumn nature crafts and activities to do at home.

Nature Crafts for Kids

You’ll probably find plenty of inspiration for kid’s garden projects in your own backyard or you may want to take your kids on a socially distanced nature walk around your neighborhood or local park.

Here are three imaginative children’s activities for autumn:

Fun with Terrariums

Terrariums are fun projects for kids of any age. A quart or one-gallon jar works well, or you can use an old goldfish bowl or aquarium. Put a layer of gravel or pebbles on the bottom of the container, then cover with a thin layer of activated charcoal.

Top the charcoal with a thin layer of sphagnum moss and add at least 2 or 3 inches (5-8 cm.) of potting mix. Sphagnum moss isn’t a necessity, but it absorbs excess moisture and prevents the potting mix from mixing with the charcoal and rocks.

At this point, you’re ready to plant small plants from your yard or you can buy inexpensive starter plants at a garden center. Mist the plants with a spray bottle and repeat whenever the soil feels dry, usually every couple of weeks.

Old-Fashioned Apple Pomander

Apple pomanders are great nature crafts for kids and the aroma is amazing. Start with a smooth, firm apple, perhaps one harvested from the garden, with the stem attached. Be sure you have plenty of cloves, which are usually more economical if you buy them in bulk.

The rest is easy, just help your kids poke the cloves into the apple. If younger kids need a little help, just make a starter hole with a toothpick, bamboo skewer, or a large needle then let them do the rest. You may want to arrange the cloves in designs, but the pomander will last longer if the cloves are close together and cover the entire apple.

Tie a ribbon or a piece of string to the stem. If you want, you can secure the knot with a drop of hot glue. Hang the pomander in a cool, dry place. Note: Old-fashioned pomanders can also be made with oranges, limes, or lemons.

Wands for Wizards and Fairies

Help your kids find an interesting stick or cut a sturdy branch to a length of about 12 to 14 inches (31-35 cm). Create a handle by wrapping a shoestring or leather lace around the lower part of the stick and then secure it with craft glue or a hot glue gun.

Decorate the wand to your liking. For instance, you can paint the stick with craft paint or leave it natural, but it’s best to peel off any rough bark. Glue on seeds, stems, feathers, tiny pinecones, seashells, seed stalks, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

It is no secret that getting children involved in gardening can have lasting positive effects. From improved behavior and work ethic to increased motivation, studies have shown that kids who participate in garden related tasks at home or in the classroom can benefit greatly.

As students head back to the classroom in fall, or even for those who may be homeschooling, there is no reason that garden learning and growing has to cease. Fall gardening with kids can be a fulfilling and satisfying way to continue teaching core curriculum content, as well as spark an interest in nature.

Gardening in Fall with Children

For seasoned growers, the process of planning an autumn garden for kids may seem extremely simple. Gardening in the fall with children often begins in summer with the sowing and transplanting of fall vegetable crops.

Vegetables harvested in the fall include many brassicas (cabbage and its relatives), as well as leafy greens like lettuce and spinach. These crisp greens are ideal for homegrown salads and veggie dishes.

Many fall garden activities for kids involve the development of patience. Though few things will grow through the winter months in some regions, preparing for the spring growing season in fall can help foster a greater appreciation of the changing seasons.

Clearing out the growing space can teach children about soil health, as well as the requirements for plant growth. The creation of a compost bin or “worm farm” can help students better understand how these nutrients are produced. Fall is also the ideal time to begin raking leaves or moving them to the garden for use in bed preparation.

Last, but certainly not least, fall is a time of observation. As the weather begins to change, children may benefit from keeping a journal filled with changes noted in plants and in the behavior of animals and insects. From butterfly migration to changes in leaf foliage, simple observation can open the door to curiosity, improved scientific reasoning, and other vital skills necessary for lifelong success in the classroom.

More parents are choosing to homeschool this fall to keep their children safe from COVID-19. While that is a big undertaking, much help is available to parents who choose to go that route. Many websites are devoted to hands-on activities for children beyond the fundamentals. Garden-based learning is a fun way to teach aspects of science, math, history, and patience!

With fall and winter right around the corner, parents may be looking for off-season gardening ideas. Learning through gardening activities can work as a school project or for any parent who wants to teach their kids how to nurture nature.

Off-Season Gardening with Kids

COVID gardening with kids can bring them to a closer relationship with nature and they can learn many life skills too. Here are just a few off-season-gardening activities to share with children of all ages.

Outdoor Activities Garden Ideas During Off-Season

• Teach where plants and insects go during the winter. Take the opportunity on a crisp, fall day to go outside and walk through the yard, pointing out how plants are preparing for winter and why. Also, some plants, like annuals, won’t return unless they reseed. Insects, too, are preparing for winter. Butterflies and moths, for example, are preparing to overwinter in one of their life stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, or adult.
• Plan a garden for next year. Get children excited about finding a sunny place in the yard to start a garden next year. Discuss the preparation work needed, when it should be done, and what tools you will need. Then for part two, which can be on a rainy or cold day inside, go through seed catalogs and decide what to plant. Everyone can pick something they will eat, be it a fruit such as strawberries, a vegetable such as carrots, and/or a fun project like growing Halloween pumpkins or square watermelons. Cut pictures out of the seed catalogs to glue onto a chart showing what they will plant and when.
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs in the yard. This also could be a two-parter. For one activity, look through bulb catalogs and decide which bulbs to order and where to plant. Most bulbs need a sunny, well-draining location. Kids can cut pictures out of the bulb catalogs and make a chart showing what they will plant. For the second part, plant the bulbs in the preselected sites. If garden space is not available, plant bulbs in containers. If you live very far north, you may need to move the container to the garage for winter.

Indoor Garden-Based Learning Activities

• Make a floral gift for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Buy some wettable floral foam to use inside small, plastic to-go cups as vases. Pick any remaining flowers from your garden, plus ferns or other filler, to make a floral arrangement. If you need more flowers, grocery stores carry inexpensive bouquets. Flowers such as zinnia, mum, daisy, carnation, and coneflower are good choices.
• Grow pot people. Using small clay pots, paint a face on each one. Fill the pot with soil and sprinkle grass seed. Water and watch the hair grow!
• Start a windowsill garden. Collect containers, potting soil, and a few plants to grow on the windowsill. Herbs make a nice grouping, and the kids can choose which ones. If transplants are hard to find in fall, try grocery stores. If none are available, buy seed from an online seed catalog.
• Learn about peculiar plants. Pick up one or two odd plants at the garden center, such as a sensitive plant, whose ferny leaves close upon touch, or a carnivorous plant like Venus flytrap that eats insects. Take a trip to the library or research online to find out the history of these plants.
• Grow a houseplant! Buy an avocado at the grocery store and grow a plant from its seed. Try planting peach pits or lemon seeds. You can also try growing other plants too, like carrot or pineapple tops.

Most adults have learned about the importance of pollinators from reading or news programs and know about the bee population decline. While we don’t want to worry our children, it’s also important to teach kids about pollinators. 

If you want to pull together some lessons on pollination for kids, you may be struggling on how to begin. Read on for some ideas for hands-on pollinator lessons.

Pollinator Lessons for Kids

While adults can read articles about the importance of pollinators, young children usually do not have the ability to do so. Not only are their reading abilities limited, but their shorter attention span is also an issue.

Instead, to teach kids about pollinators, consider using different exciting hands-on projects. One popular idea is to make a pollinator garden with kids. That is one way for children to get a clear idea about what pollinators do and how humans can support them.

Pollinators for Children

Putting together a pollinator garden with kids is a win-win activity. It’s fun and interesting for the children and helpful for the pollinators. One important step in making a pollinator garden with kids is to talk with them about the importance of pollinators. Have them make lists of food items that depend on pollination and explain why.

Talk to kids about the identity of pollinators. Insect pollinators include four major groups:

• Bees and wasps
• Beetles
• Butterflies and moths
• Flies

Other types of pollinators are bats and hummingbirds.

Other Lessons on Pollination

Explain to the children some of the factors that threaten pollinators. See if they can think of any factors and be sure to discuss habitat destruction. Then you can start planning a native wildflower pollinator garden the kids can make right near their own home, or even grow some flowers in a container (great for younger kids).

How to pick plants for a pollinator garden with kids? Prepare pollination lessons about each separate group of pollinators and provide a list of the types of plants the particular pollinator likes and needs. See which of these grow well in your area, then have the kids include at least one plant for each pollinator group in the garden.

A fun way to engage the little ones in learning about pollen and how bees collect it from flowers is by snacking on Cheetos. That’s right! Just glue a flower onto a brown paper bag (one they can color themselves or one they’ve constructed) and fill with Cheetos or cheese puffs. As they snack on these treats, their fingers will turn orange, similar to how pollen sticks to bees.

Additional pollinator activities can include:

• Scavenger hunts
• Making a bee house
• Creating paper flowers
• Coloring parts of a flower
• Making a bee bath
• Raising butterflies
• Making and planting seed balls

Spring and summer rains don’t have to ruin outdoor plans. Instead, use it as a teaching opportunity. A rain gauge project is a great way to help kids learn about science, weather, and gardening. Making a rain gauge requires only a few simple, common household items and takes little time or skill.

Weather and Rain Activity Lessons

For gardeners, measuring the amount of moisture that falls can help determine what plants will perform well with minimal outside irrigation. It can also inform you of how much moisture to collect if you were to install a rain barrel. A DIY rain gauge is one of the easiest ways to assess rainfall, plus it is a family friendly project with teaching potential for the kids.

Getting kids out in the yard or garden to learn about science firsthand is much more fun that classroom work. Weather is one topic that is perfectly suited to learning about right in the garden. Meteorology is the science of weather and it requires measuring tools.

A rain gauge is a simple measurement tool that tells you how much rain has fallen over a period of time. Start with creating a rain gauge with the kids. Choose periods of time to measure rain fall and then check it against official measurements from the National Weather Service’s website.

This simple experiment can lead to a whole series of lessons and learning about how rain affects your plants, soil and erosion, wildlife, and more.

Making a Rain Gauge with Kids

This is a simple activity to teach kids about rain. You can easily make a rain gauge with a few things you have around the house.

If you are a soda drinker, you are in luck because this is a key component to a homemade rain gauge. Choose a clear bottle so you can easily read the level markings and view the moisture collected inside.

The rain gauge instructions require:

• An empty plastic bottle, a big two-liter bottle is best
• Scissors
• Tape
• Permanent marker
• A ruler
• Pebbles

Making a rain gauge is a quick project, but young children should be assisted and supervised during the bottle cutting.

Cut off the top of the bottle, just at the start of the widest point. Turn this top portion upside down on the bottle and tape it in place. Make sure the top is off. This will act like a funnel for the rain falling into the bottle.

Put a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the bottle (you may also use sand). This will keep it weighted and upright outside. Alternatively, you can bury the bottle a little way into the soil in the garden to keep it in place.

Use a ruler and permanent marker to mark measurements. Use inches on one side of the bottle and centimeters on the other side, starting with the lowest measure towards the bottom.

Further Rain Gauge Instructions

Add water to the bottle until it hits the zero measurement (lowest) mark, or use the top of the pebbles/sand as the zero line. Place the bottle in a level area outside and note the time. Measure the water level at any interval of time you decide on. If it’s raining heavily, check it every hour to get more accurate results.

You could also bury the bottle part way and insert a measuring stick with specific marks on it inside. Put a few drops of food color in the bottom of the bottle and as the moisture meets them, the water will turn color, allowing you to pull the measuring stick out and gauge rainfall by where the stick is colored.

Half of the process of science is comparing and contrasting as well as collecting evidence. Keep a journal over a period of time to see how much rain comes in weekly, monthly, or even yearly. You can also group data by season, for instance, to see how much comes in the summer versus the spring.

This is a simple rain activity lesson that kids of almost any age can do. Scale the accompanying lesson according to what’s appropriate for your child’s age. For younger kids, simply measuring and talking about rain is a great lesson. For older children, you can have them design more experiments in the garden involving rain and watering plants.

As homeschooling becomes the new norm, social media posts of parents doing projects with their kids abound. Arts and crafts make up a large portion of these, and there are abundant activities that can be done to combine arts and crafts with the great outdoors, specifically the garden. All you have to do is get creative!

Arts and Crafts Ideas for Garden Exploration

Can I teach art lessons to kids even if I’m not artistic? Yes! You don't have to be an artist or even very creative yourself to combine art activities with nature. The final project doesn't necessarily have to look like something you can identify, a famous painting, or even similar to another parent or sibling's that’s also participated. The point of these art lessons for kids is to be child created and nature involved.

Arts and crafts from the garden allow children of all ages to participate, each one using their own method of self-expression. Some may build on certain skills, such as hand-eye coordination or recognizing and identifying common things from the garden, but the finished artwork itself should have as little help as possible from the adult.

Garden Themed Projects

Some of the simplest crafts from the garden include painting with different materials, stamping or printing, tracings or rubbings, using recycled materials to build and decorate, handprints, and more! 

Painting with Nature

Children of all ages both enjoy and have fun exploring with paints. Make sure the paint is washable and nontoxic, then let them have fun. One way to do accomplish this is by exploring with different textures and making different designs using garden related objects. These can include, but are not limited to:

• Pinecones
• Feathers
• Rocks
• Twigs
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Corn cobs
• Miniature garden tools

Other ways to enjoy using paints are to create things out of hand or footprints (such as toe tulips, thumbprint bugs, or a handprint sunshine). 

Stamping, Printing, Tracing, and Rubbing

Using paints or an ink/stamp pad, children can make prints of various items and then look closely at the textures and patterns left on the paper. This can include:

• Apple printing
• Pepper prints (makes a shamrock shape)
• Using potato stamps to create ladybugs and other fun stuff
• Leaves, corn, or other veggies

You can also examine textures on paper by doing rubbings of things such as leaves, grass, and bark. Just place the item under the paper and color over it with a crayon. 

Some children may also enjoy tracing different leaves or flowers found outdoors. Fake plants can be used as well if you don’t have any handy or want the children picking your flowers.

Nature/Garden Collages

This can be done a few different ways. Children can collect items from outdoors or while on a nature walk to include on their collage. They can be provided several items such as different types of seeds or fall related items to create a collage. Or use old magazines to cut out pictures of garden items, flowers, foods you can grow, or make a dream garden collage.

Crafts with Recycled Objects

Old milk jugs can be used to create birdhouses, plastic bottles work well for bird feeders, small jars work for bug catchers (observe and release when you are done), and just about any container can be decorated to use for a potted plant (just be sure to add drainage holes).

Place these crafts outdoors in the garden or landscape area where you can view them being used by nature.

Keepsake Crafts from the Garden

A fun way to save all of the garden inspired keepsakes done by your children is creating an indoor garden. Choose a place inside, maybe a blank wall space, and deem this "the garden." Anytime your child does a nature theme or garden related piece of artwork, it can be placed in the indoor garden to be displayed.

And don’t forget you can also plan for future garden themed projects by growing your own arts and crafts plants and supplies.

With current events happening in the world right now, you may be homeschooling. How can you make standard school subjects, like math, more enjoyable, especially when your child seems to always be suffering from never-ending boredom? The answer is to think outside the box. Better yet, just think outside.

Tying Math into Nature

Gardening is a great outdoor activity many adults enjoy in a number of different ways. It's only logical to think the kiddos would enjoy it as well. Most don't realize it but there are actually several ways to incorporate major school subjects into gardening. One of those subjects is math. 

When math comes to mind, we normally think about long, drawn out and complicated equations. However, math in the garden can be as simple as counting, sorting, graphing, and measuring. A variety of garden activities allow parents to provide these opportunities to their children. 

Adapting for Age When Homeschooling in Gardens

Any activity you do should be adjusted to fit the needs and age of the child that will be participating. Younger children will need more assistance, easy to complete tasks, and simple one to two step directions to follow, possibly even repeated or with the use of a picture guide as an aide. 

Older children can do more with less assistance. They can handle more complex directions and be asked to do more in-depth problem solving. Maybe your child has been given a work packet of math problems to work on from his or or her school. You can even use these for tying math into nature.

Reword or take ideas from the problems in the packet, replacing them with things that tie into the gardening world, or try giving your child a visual representation of a particular problem using props from the garden. 

Ideas for Math in the Garden

Counting can be done with all ages, from the youngest child first learning numbers to the oldest curious to see how high they can count. You can even count by fives, tens, and so forth. Send youngsters out to collect items such as rocks, leaves, or even bugs and count with them - how many they found or simply walk through the garden and count the number of flowers or budding fruits and veggies you see. 

Shapes are another math concept that the little ones can be introduced to by using the garden. Try to identify shapes in the garden such as flower beds, garden tools, or rocks. Help children find a shape or show them what a shape looks like and how the real life object resembles the shape, then have them try to recall the number of shapes you found or where they found them. 

Another idea is to collect sticks and create bundles of ten using rubber bands or twist ties. These can be used to count and group. Have children use these to come up with particular numbers, such as using the bundles to create 33 sticks or use them to solve math problems. 

Using a ruler, collect leaves and twigs of various sizes. Measure your findings and then arrange them in ways like shortest to longest. You can also use the ruler to measure other things in the garden, like the dimensions of a flower/garden bed to calculate the area or how tall certain plants are. 

Additional Mathematical Garden Activities

Need some more inspiration? The following mathematical garden activities can help:

Garden Graphing

Take a walk through the garden and have your child record his or her findings in a journal or notepad. This can include things like number of blue flowers, budding plants, types of or favorite flowers, or insects seen.

Create a graph using the data to show the findings. Ask your child questions like "how many blue flowers did we see?" or "how many types of insects were found, what were they?" Allow them to refer back to their 'data' to find their answers. 

Another way to use graphing is to create a Venn diagram. Collect two samples of an item found in nature such as two different leaves or flowers. Have the children compare them by writing the differences and placing the samples in each circle. Similarities will go in the middle, where the two circles overlap. This can even be done outside using sidewalk chalk.

Math by Planting

Every gardener has planted seeds at some point. Chances are at least one of those times was from a seed packet. I bet you didn't realize this can also be used as a math lesson. That's right, these little seed packets usually have numbers on them. From counting seeds, measuring soil and seed depth, or simply measuring the distance between seeds for planting— you are using math.

As plants emerge, children can measure their growth and chart the development over time. Another way to use measurements in the garden is measuring the amount of water a particular plant might need. 

Math is all around us in the world, even when we don't realize it. Although you may not be doing AP chemistry or attempting to solve some of the world's toughest math equations, you are still able to expand and build on your child's math skills by simple gardening and other outdoor nature activities.

So, you're an avid gardener with young kids running around. If gardening is your favorite pastime and you're curious about how you can pass on the green thumb to the youngsters, read on! 

Teaching Garden Curriculum Ideas

Children learn through play. The best way to allow them to do this is by providing them fun and exciting hands-on activities that also stimulate all of their senses. If you want to get them curious and learn about gardening, give them fun activities related to just that.

Activities can include, but are certainly not limited to, things like sensory play, special snacks or cooking activities, outdoor games, arts and crafts, and so much more! 

Teach Gardening by Playing Pretend

Dramatic play is a favorite type of play for young children and also very important for development. With this type of play they imitate things they see going on around them in their everyday life. To encourage them to learn about gardening, allow them to observe you in the garden and provide them with an area (it can be indoors, outdoors, or both) for dramatic play, garden themed.

Child-sized gardening tools are great for this. Provide gardening gloves, hats, miniature tools, aprons, empty seed packets, watering cans, plastic pots or other containers, fake flowers and let them imitate the act of gardening. You can even work together to create your very own DIY garden hat to wear outdoors.

Legos or other types of building blocks can be used to construct pretend garden beds or, if children are a little older, you can help assist them to build garden or window boxes out of wood materials. Other garden items that can be constructed or replicated include:

• Greenhouses
• Birdhouses/feeders
• Bug hotels
• Produce stands

Sensory and Science in the Garden

There are so many sensory bin ideas you can do for children to allow them to explore using their senses and get hands on with the garden theme. Give them their own container full of soil, some sticks, and rakes to create a garden. Use sand and rocks to make a Zen Garden. Let them actually dig and get their hands dirty, add seeds to examine and explore with, help them plant their own seeds, or add fresh smelling flowers.

Feeling textures of different materials and plants is very stimulating for sensory development. You can also talk about what types of plants are edible and even let them taste different things grown in the garden. Other ideas for a sensory bin include:

• Adding different leaves to explore and identify
• Adding mud, leaves, twigs, etc. for bird nest building
• Containers of water for washing fresh produce
• Dirt with insects to bury/dig up

Science in the garden can be as simple as exploring an old bird nest you find or broken eggshells, playing in mud and seeing what happens when mud sits out in the sun, or learning about garden helpers by exploring earthworms. Other simple science activities include:

• Exploring the parts of an apple or cleaning out a pumpkin
• Comparing fresh and dried fruits, leaves, or flowers
• Using different pasta types to represent (along with discussing) the life cycle of a butterfly-- watching one hatch if possible
• Observing different stages in a plant’s life cycle within the garden

Arts and Crafts

One thing all children love to do is arts and crafts, so this hands-on learning is definitely going to engage them. You can paint rocks to make them look like ladybugs or flowers, make papier-mâché watermelons, use Play-Doh to either construct your own items or add garden themed cookie cutters.

One neat project is to make 3D flowers. Use cupcake liners, coffee filters, and large paper doilies. Color or design them however you want and then layer them (doily on bottom, coffee filter middle, and cupcake liner on top) with glue. Also glue on a stem and add leaves. Spray just a dab of floral perfume or air freshener and you have a beautiful, 3D scented flower. 

More art crafts to try are:

• Stuffed yarn leaves
• Leaf tracing
• Ink blot butterfly wings
• Using outdoor chalk to decorate garden areas (washes off when it rains)
• Plastic bottle bottoms to stamp flowers
• Paper lettuce using green circles of various sizes

Garden Inspired Snacks

What kid doesn’t love a good snack? You can even relate gardening into snack time or let the kids get hands-on with garden-themed cooking activities. Ideas to try:

• Taste honey (relate to activity on bees)
• Types of seeds you can eat
• Vegetable soup or fruit salad from the garden
• Taste parties to try various fruits, vegetables, or other edible plants that may be new to them
• Picnic in the garden
• Have “buggy snacks” with ants on a log/in the sand (raisins, celery, peanut butter, graham cracker), spiders (Oreos and pretzel sticks), butterflies (pretzel twists and celery or carrot sticks), and snails (celery, apple slices, pretzel pieces, chocolate chips, and peanut butter)
• Make snacks for the birds and other garden wildlife

Other Ideas for Kids in the Garden

Just letting children get involved with watering plants or decorating their own pots can be enough to pique their interest in the gardening world. You can assist them with planting projects, there are several fun, kid-friendly planting projects out there. To name a few:

• Plant seeds in sponges
• Plant seeds in ice cream cones
• Grow and observe what happens with popcorn kernels in baggies
• Grow in your name out of grass seed
• Plant a pretty flower or make a butterfly garden with wildflowers
• For St. Patrick's Day, grow some shamrocks
• Grow a bean stalk 

Encourage children to go on different types of “hunts” around the garden. You can go on an insect, color, clover/shamrock, flower, or leaf hunt. Count butterflies and bees and bring up pollination. The possibilities really are endless!

Of course, another great way to help children learn about gardening and expand their knowledge of the topic is by reading garden related books to them regularly and assisting them with reading as they get older. 

As old as I am, which I will not divulge, there is still something magical about planting a seed and seeing it come to fruition. Growing a beanstalk with kids is the perfect way to share some of that magic. This simple beanstalk project pairs beautifully with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, making it a lesson in not only reading but science too.

Materials to Grow a Kid’s Beanstalk

The beauty of growing a beanstalk with kids is twofold. Of course, they get to live inside Jack’s world as the story unfolds and they also get to grow their own magic beanstalk.

Beans are a perfect choice for an elementary growing project with kids. They are simple to grow and, while they don’t grow overnight, they grow at a rapid pace - perfect for a child’s wandering attention span.

What you need for a beanstalk project includes bean seeds of course, any variety of beans will do. A pot or container, or even a repurposed glass or Mason jar will work. You’ll need some cotton balls too and a spray bottle.

When the vine gets larger, you will also need potting soil, a saucer if using a container with drainage holes, stakes, and gardening ties or twine. Other fantastical elements can be included such as a miniature Jack doll, a Giant, or any other element found in the children’s tale.

How to Grow a Magic Beanstalk

The simplest way to start growing a beanstalk with kids is to start with a glass jar or other container and some cotton balls. Run the cotton balls under water until they are wet but not sodden. Place the wet cotton balls in the bottom of the jar or container. These are going to act as “magic” soil.

Place the bean seeds between the cotton balls at the side of the glass so they can be easily viewed. Be sure to use 2-3 seeds just in case one doesn’t germinate. Keep the cotton balls moist by misting them with a spray bottle.

Once the bean plant has reached the top of the jar, it is time to transplant it. Gently remove the bean plant from the jar. Transplant it into a container that has drainage holes. (If you started out with a container like this, you can skip this part.) Add a trellis or use stakes and lightly tie the end of the vine to them using plant ties or twine.

Keep the beanstalk project consistently moist and watch it reach for the clouds!

As the weather warms up, why not use the garden as part of the new homeschooling experience? Start by creating a children’s reading garden for lessons on botany, ecology, gardening, and more. And then bring reading activities outdoors.

Creating a Reading Garden for Kids

Reading in the garden with kids can be a great way to take lessons outside, even if the lesson is simply to enjoy nature. But first you need to create the garden that suits quiet, reflective time for reading as well as reading activities.

Get your kids involved in the process of designing and building, if not an entire garden, at least one corner of the garden that they’ll use for these activities. Here are some factors to consider:

• A reading garden should have space for quiet, solitary reading. Use hedges, shrubs, trellises with vines, or containers to delineate space.
• Try building a garden tent. For the ultimate in reading privacy, create a tent. Make a sturdy structure with scrap wood or trellis material and grow vines over it as cover. Sunflower or bean houses are fun places for kids to hide.
• Create seating. Kids are often comfortable right on the ground, but there are other options. A soft grassy spot in front of an old tree, a garden bench, or even stumps make great seating for reading.
• Make sure there is shade. A little sun is great, but too much can ruin the experience on a hot day.

Reading Garden Activities

A youth reading garden can be just that: a place to sit and read quietly. But there are also ways to make the experience more interactive so include reading lessons and activities:

• Take turns reading out loud. Pick a book the whole family will enjoy and read aloud together.
• Learn garden vocabulary. The garden is a great place to learn new words. Collect words for things you see and look up any the kids don’t know yet.
• Act out a play. Study a play, or a short act from a play, and put on a family production in the garden. Alternatively, have the kids write a play and perform it for you.
• Create art projects. Include art by creating signs for the garden with quotes from your kids’ favorite books. Decorate pots and plant tags with the correct names for plants or with literary quotes.
• Build a Little Free library. This is a great way to promote reading in the garden and to share books with neighbors.
• Study nature. Read books about nature and gardening, and do it outdoors. Then have a scavenger hunt with items found in nature or the garden.

Many parents are faced with having to entertain children at home all day, every day due to occasional school closures and new work-at-home situations. You may be finding yourself in need of activities to occupy their time. What better way to do so than introducing your children to gardening?

There are actually a number of garden related activities you can do that can help build your child’s language and writing skills, and even tie into social studies while using the garden.

Language/Literacy in the Garden

Young children can practice writing letters by using a stick or even just their finger to make letters in the dirt or soil. They can be given letter cards to use or you can tell them a letter to write, which also helps with letter recognition.

Older children can practice writing vocabulary, spelling, or garden words. Going on a hunt to find things in the garden that begin with each letter (such as Ant, Bee, and Caterpillar for A, B, and C) helps with pre-emergent reading and writing skills. You could even start an alphabet garden using plants beginning with certain letters grown there.

Reading plant labels and seed packets builds on language development. Children can even create their own labels to place in the garden. To further expand on writing skills, have your children write about something correlating to your family's personal garden, something they did or learned in the garden, or an imaginative garden tale.

Of course, finding a cozy garden spot to write will also make the task more enjoyable. Smaller kids can be involved as well by having them create a drawing or picture and then verbally telling you about their story and what they drew. Writing down what they say and reading it back to them helps make a connection between spoken and written words.

Literacy Resources

There are tons of songs, fingerplays, and books about or related to gardening available to use as extra resources. A quick internet search can help with some cute and catchy garden tunes.

Although visiting the library may not always be an option, many libraries are allowing those with a library card to check out e-books. Check with your local area to see if this is an option. There are also many digital books free for download.

Something as simple as reading or having outdoor story time can be beneficial for your child’s language and literacy development. 

Social Studies and Gardening

Social studies in the garden can be a little bit harder to accomplish but can be done. You may have to do a little research of your own beforehand. Although we won't go in depth here, we can give you some topics to search on or give your children a project of researching and collecting facts about a topic. You can certainly come up with more, but a few ideas to get you started include: 

• History of food or origins of different fruits, veggies, and plants
• Around the world gardens - different areas such as Zen gardens in Japan or Mediterranean desert gardening
• Popular garden techniques in other cultures - one example being rice paddies in China
• Origins of plant common names - for added fun, choose silly plant names or names from your own garden 
• History and information about farm/garden inventions and their creators
• Have a Native American garden by planting companion crops like the Three Sisters
• Create a timeline and study the way gardening has evolved over time
• Careers related to or tying into gardening

Virtual Gardening Learning

Although social distancing and staying home are encouraged right now, there are still ways to get involved in gardening with friends and extended family members. Try virtual gardening.

Thanks to technology, you can be miles, states, even continents away from those you love and still enjoy quality time “planting with Nana.” Video chat and plant together, make a video garden diary, vlog to share with others, or have a competition garden and compare results with friends. Get creative and get those kids out of the house and into the garden!

Gardening can be a great way to teach children specific lessons. It’s not just about plants and growing them, but all aspects of science. Water, in the garden and in houseplants, for instance, can be a lesson for teaching the water cycle.

Observing the Water Cycle in the Garden

Learning about the water cycle is an important part of basic earth science, ecosystems, and botany. Simply observing the movement of water through your yard and garden is one easy way to teach this lesson to your children.

The basic concept about the water cycle to teach children is that water moves through the environment, changing forms and constantly recycling. It is a finite resource that changes but never goes away. Some of the aspects of the water cycle you and your children can observe in your garden include:

• Rain and snow. One of the most noticeable parts of the water cycle is precipitation. When the air and clouds fill with moisture, it reaches a critical point of saturation and we get rain, snow, and other types of precipitation.
• Ponds, rivers, and other waterways. Where does the precipitation go? It replenishes our waterways. Look for changes in the water levels of ponds, streams, and wetlands after rain.
• Wet vs. dry soil. Harder to see is the precipitation that soaks into the ground. Compare how the soil in the garden looks and feels before and after it rains.
• Gutters and storm drains. Human elements also come into play in the water cycle. Notice the change in sound of a storm drain before and after a hard rain or the water that surges from the downspouts of your home’s gutters.
• Transpiration. Water also gets pulled out of plants, through their leaves. This isn’t always easy to see in the garden, but you can manipulate houseplants to see this process in action.

Water Cycle Lessons and Ideas

You can teach kids about the water cycle just by observing how water moves through your garden, but also try some great ideas for projects and lessons. For kids of any age, creating a terrarium will allow you to create and observe a small water cycle.

A terrarium is an enclosed garden, and you don’t need a fancy container to make one. A mason jar or even a plastic bag you can put over a plant will work. Your kids will put water into the environment, close it, and watch the water move from soil to plant, to air. Condensation will form on the container too. And, if you look closely, you may be able to see transpiration happening, as droplets of water form on the leaves of plants.

For older students, like those in high school, the garden is a great place for an extended project or experiment. As an example, have your kids design and create a rain garden. Start with research and design, and then build it. They can also do several experiments as part of the process, such as measuring rainfall and changes in pond or wetlands levels, trying different plants to see which do best in soggy soil, and measuring pollutants in the water.

With schools (and childcare) across the nation currently closed, many parents may be wondering how to entertain children that are now at home all day long. You want to give them something fun to do, but with an educational element included as well. One way to do this is to create science experiments and projects that get the children outdoors. 

Garden Science for Children: Adaptions 

Using gardens to teach science is super easy, and the great thing about nature related experiments and science projects is that children of all ages, and even most adults, find these activities entertaining and enjoy completing a project to see what the results will be. Most are easily adaptable for a majority of age groups too.

Even the youngest scientist can enjoy getting outside and involved in nature related experiments. For younger children, like toddlers, simply explain to them what you are doing, what you hope to achieve or why, and let them help if and when possible. This age is very observant and will enjoy simply watching, most likely in awe and fascination, as the activity is carried out. Afterwards, you can have your child tell you something about what they just saw. 

For preschool to younger school-aged children, you can explain to them what you are going to do. Have a discussion and let them tell you what the goal of the project will be and what they predict will happen. They may be able to get more hands-on with the project at this age. Afterwards, have another discussion where they share with you in their own words the results and if their predictions were right. 

Older children may very well be able to complete these experiments with little to no adult help, but you should always supervise for safety measures. These children can write down their predictions for the project or what they hope to accomplish by completing it, and what the outcome was. They can also explain to you how the project correlates to nature.

Science Activities for Kids to Try

Below are a few simple science experiment and project ideas to get children outdoors in nature and using their minds. Of course, this is by no means a complete list of what you can do. Ideas are plentiful. Just ask a local teacher or search the internet. Children may even be able to come up with their own ideas to try. 

Ants

This creature is definitely one that you will find outdoors, and even indoors sometimes on occasion. Although ants can be a nuisance, the way they work together to build their colonies is both fascinating and entertaining to watch.

Creating a DIY ant farm can achieve just that. All you need is a mason/plastic jar with small holes in the lid. You will also need a brown paper bag.

• Walk around until you find a nearby anthill.
• Scoop the anthill into the jar and immediately put in the paper bag and close.
• After 24 hours, the ants will have created tunnels and built back their home, which you will now be able to see through the jar.
• You can keep your anthill thriving by adding crumbs and a moist sponge on top of the dirt.
• Always put back in the paper bag when you are not observing the ants.

Another interesting experiment to try with ants is learning how to attract or repel them. For this simple activity, all you need is two paper plates, some salt, and some sugar.

• Sprinkle salt onto one plate and sugar onto the other.
• Then, find two places around the garden to place the plates.
• Every so often check on them.
• The one with sugar will become covered in ants, while the one with salt will remain untouched. 

Osmosis

You may have heard of changing the color of celery by putting the stalk in different colored water. It's usually a popular activity done in school at some point. You simply take a celery stalk, or several, with leaves and place them into cups of colored water (food coloring). Observe the stalks after several hours, 24 hours, and again at 48 hours.

The leaves should turn the color of the water each stalk is in. You can also cut off the bottom of the stalk and see where the stalk absorbed the water. This shows the process of how plants soak up water, or osmosis. This project can also be done using white flowers, such as daisy or white clover. The white petals will turn the color of which they are placed in.

Five Senses

Children learn by using their senses. What better way to explore those senses than in the garden? A fun idea to use is send your child on a five senses nature scavenger hunt. This can be adapted to fit the needs particular to your garden or outdoor area or edited however you please. Children may even come up with their own ideas to search for.

Children are given a checklist of items to find under each category. For younger children, you may need to call out or list items to them one at a time. A general idea of things to search for include: 

• Sight - something with a certain color, shape, size, or pattern or multiples of an object such as five different rocks or three identical flowers
• Sound - an animal sound, something loud, quiet, or something you can make music with 
• Smell - a flower or food with a scent, a good smell, a bad smell
• Touch - try to find different textures such as smooth, bumpy, hard, soft, etc. 
• Taste - something we could eat and something an animal would eat, or things with different flavors such as sweet, spicy, sour, etc. 

Photosynthesis

How does a leaf breathe? That's what this simple photosynthesis experiment allows children to actually see and allows them to think of plants as living, breathing organisms. All you need is a bowl of water and a freshly picked leaf.

• Place the leaf in the bowl of water and place a rock on top to fully submerge it.
• Place in a sunny location and wait several hours.
• When you come back to check on it, you should see bubbles coming from the leaf. This is similar to the act of one holding their breath, going under water, and releasing that breath. 

Other Garden Related Science Lessons

A few other ideas for gardening themed science activities for children include:

• Placing carrot tops in water and observing what happens
• Teaching about composting
• Observing the life cycle of a butterfly, beginning with the caterpillar
• Growing flowers to study the life cycle of plants
• Learning about garden helpers by creating a worm habitat

A simple online search will provide more information to use as part of your learning discussion, books and songs relating to the topic, as well as expansions for more learning with other project related activities.

Learning to grow your own fruits and vegetables can be extremely rewarding, especially when done with children as a family project. Even if you only have small growing spaces at your disposal, you can still experiment with gardening.

Gardening from scraps has gained a lot of popularity, and it’s a great tool for teaching children about the growth process. Creating a kitchen scrap garden will also help you teach lessons related to food waste, organic growing, and sustainability.

What is a Kitchen Scrap Garden?

Sometimes referred to as a “quickie vegetable garden,” gardening with things from your kitchen is an easy way to grow produce parts that would usually be discarded, meaning that new vegetable plants are grown from items that would otherwise be headed toward the compost pile. This includes things like tomato seeds, sprouted potatoes, or even the rooted end of celery stalks.

Many kitchen scrap gardens may not even require any soil. Some greens, such as lettuce, can be regrown in water to produce new green growth. Simply fill a shallow dish with water just so that the root end of the plant is covered. Then, move the plant to a bright windowsill. As the plant begins to grow from the roots, you will need to change the water to keep it clean and fresh.

While it is possible to regrow some plants using only water, others may have more success by planting directly into container soil. Crops such as garlic and various herb plants can be placed in soil outside and allowed to grow into full sized productive plants. Root vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes may also be planted and grown from tubers that have reached their expiration date in the kitchen.

Quickie Vegetable Garden for Kids

When creating a garden from kitchen scraps, the options are limitless. However, it's important to remain realistic. Treatments in commercial produce, such as the use of growth inhibitors, may cause failure of plants to sprout or grow. For the best attempt at growing a kitchen scrap garden, choose only produce labeled as non-GMO and organic. Better yet, grow them with leftover veggies from your garden instead.

Growing kitchen scraps offers a fast alternative to seed sown veggies, as most of them sprout new growth rather quickly. In fact, this is a great project to try at home while you are waiting for previously sown seeds to germinate. Gardening with food scraps from your kitchen will teach your kids not only where food comes from and its healthfulness, but they will learn about sustainability practices, not being wasteful and reusing items whenever possible.

If you’re familiar with the term, you probably know that Victory Gardens were Americans’ response to loss, during and after both World Wars. With a diminished domestic food supply and a slump in our war-weary economy, the government encouraged families to plant and harvest their own food – for themselves and the greater good. 

Home gardening became a patriotic act of determination and faith to help us recover from a staggering era that affected the entire global population. Sound familiar?

So, here’s a question. Do your kids know what a Victory Garden is? This might be the perfect time for a fun project with your kids that can create a sense of balance during these historically stressful times. It can also serve as a valuable history lesson about how we can rise up and thrive when times are hard.

Planning for a Children’s Victory Garden

Many of our children are home-schooling. How can we enrich their education? Explain the benefits of a Victory Garden as they plant, nurture and harvest their own food. This is truly a hands-on history lesson! Teach your kids that gardening is one thing we can do that improves everything. It helps the planet, feeds us in many ways, encourages pollinators and gives us a true sense of hope. Children who plant and tend their own gardens will watch seedlings sprout, plants develop and vegetables grow and ripen.

Why not help them start a lifelong love for the magic of gardening while we navigate this challenging time in history? Tell them about the Victory Garden’s history, perhaps relating it to grandparents and great grandparents. This is part of our heritage, regardless of where our ancestors are from.

Early spring is the perfect time to get started too! To start home Victory Garden learning activities for kids, show them the common parts of a plant. It’s fun to draw a big picture with help from the young ones.

Hands-On Learning Activities for Kids

• Draw a horizontal line that represents the ground and soil. Draw a chunky seed underneath.
• Have them draw squiggly roots from the seed: Roots take up food from the soil.
• Draw a stem that rises above the ground: The stem brings up water and food from the soil.
• Now draw some leaves and a sun. Leaves absorb sunlight to make oxygen for us!
• Draw flowers. Flowers attract pollinators, create fruit and make more plants like themselves.

When they’re familiar with plant parts, it’s time to dig into the nitty gritty. Order seeds online or save some from fruits and vegetables you already have. Help your young students start some vegetable seeds in small pots indoors. Potting soil works best. It’s fascinating for them to watch for little sprouts that shoot up and grow strong. You can use peat pots, egg cartons (or eggshells), or even recyclable yogurt or pudding containers. Make sure they have drainage holes – talk to your kids about how water needs to drain through the soil and out from the bottom of the pot, so that while roots are growing, they won’t have to swim in wet, soggy soil.

When seedlings have sprouted and grown a couple inches, it’s time to prepare the garden or outdoor pots. This can be a great family adventure. Let your kids help you decide where each kind of plant should go, keeping in mind that some plants, like pumpkins, tomatoes and cucumbers will need more space than others.

A home Victory Garden project is healthy fun for every family member. Hopefully the idea will continue to take root in our classrooms. In our grandparents’ time, the federal government actually had an agency for supporting school gardening. Their motto was "A garden for every child, every child in a garden.” Let’s revive this movement today. It’s still relevant. Gardening can bring our families back to balance, happiness, health and family unity.

Grownups tend to be squeamish about creepy-crawly insects, but kids are often naturally fascinated by bugs. Why not start teaching kids about bugs when they’re young so they won’t be fearful or grossed out when they’re older?

Garden bug lessons can be a lot of fun and in the process, kids learn the difference between destructive pests and helpful bugs that work to keep bad guys under control. Wondering how to teach about insects? Basically, just tap into their natural curiosity. Here are a few helpful suggestions about bugs and kids.

How to Teach About Insects

The Internet offers a wealth of information when it comes to lessons about insects. Search for “teaching kids about bugs” or “garden bug lessons” and you’ll find activities for kids of all ages.

Your local library is likely to have good information too. Look for age-appropriate e-books or, if you have some handy, magazines with a lot of color pictures are great resources too.

Garden Bug Lessons: Good Bugs

It’s critical for kids to learn that bugs aren’t all bad, and the good guys are often interesting and colorful. Familiarize your children with helpful insects like:

• Ladybugs
• Lacewings
• Praying mantis
• Dragonflies
• Damsel bugs
• Minute pirate bugs
• Soldier beetles

These bugs are often called “predators” because they prey on harmful insects.

Spiders aren’t insects, but they should be protected and appreciated because they control many pests. (In the United States, only a couple species have toxic venom). Older kids can learn how to identify common spiders in your area, how they build webs, and how they catch their prey.

Many parasitic insects are also beneficial. For instance, parasitic wasps and tachinid flies don’t sting, but they lay their eggs inside pests.

Lesson About Insects: Bad Bugs

Bad bugs harm plants in a number of ways. Some, such as aphids, mealybugs and mites, suck the sweet sap from the leaves. Others, like cabbage maggots, cutworms, slugs, and tomato hornworms tunnel into roots, cut stems at soil level, or chew on leaves.

Beetles are a mixed bag because many are beneficial. However, some beetles, such as flea beetles, potato beetles or Japanese beetles, do an incredible amount of damage to gardens and agricultural crops.

Bugs and Kids: Pollinators and Recyclers

Lessons about insects should always include the importance of honeybees and how they pollinate plants and make honey. Explain that honeybees sting only when they are threatened.

Explain the difference between bees and wasps. Wasps are also pollinators, and they eat pests like grubs and flies. However, it’s important to know which is which because some wasps will sting.

Kids love butterflies, and the colorful fliers are also pollinators, although less effective as bees.

Bugs that recycle aren’t always pretty to look at, but they’re critical in healthy soil. Recyclers, also known as decomposers, work by recycling dead plant material and pooping it back into the soil. In the process, they return nutrients and keep the soil well aerated.

Recyclers include ants, maggots, and many types of beetles. (Worms aren’t insects, but they are powerful recyclers and make a great tie in).

Growing a garden is a great way to get children excited about eating fresh produce. However, lessons within the home garden can extend far beyond planting and harvesting. The creation of a small backyard ecosystem is an excellent way to begin teaching kids about wildlife. By planning a garden that is attractive to various native species, children will be inspired to question, explore, and interact with the outdoor space in a whole new way.

Identifying Wildlife with Kids

Wildlife in the garden will vary depending upon the habitat created. Throughout the planning stages, ask children for feedback regarding the types of animals they would like to attract (within reason, of course). This helps encourage engagement in the process.

Creating an attractive garden will include a variety of native perennial plantings, evergreens, shrubs, and wildflowers. Do keep in mind, however, that when you teach children about wildlife, it should not be limited to the plants found in the garden but also other elements like rocks, statues, bird houses, and water features. These all serve as a source of shelter for wildlife living within the growing space.

Teaching kids about wildlife in the garden allows for active, hands-on learning. Further, identifying wildlife with kids allows children to take accountability for their own learning as they explore through their own senses. Carefully observing, taking notes, and researching each garden species will allow children to establish and hone scientific skills, aiding in the development of basic reasoning and critical thinking.

Beyond forming a strong connection to nature and the world that surrounds them, wildlife lessons help kids develop skills which translate directly into the classroom curriculum. By collecting data and information related to real-life experiences, many children will be eager to relay gained knowledge to others through writing and speaking.

Completion of tasks based on real world learning can be especially helpful for kids that struggle with motivation or those having various learning disabilities.

Wildlife in the garden can open a whole new door to learning. From bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to toads, squirrels, birds and even deer, there’s sure to be something educational that stems from their visits in the garden.

Wildlife Lesson Activities

As your kids explore the garden, there are other ways to teach them about wildlife through hands-on activities and discussions. Some of these may include:

• Study animal tracks – With this science and discovery activity, children can look at pictures of different animal tracks and learn which animal makes them. Make some type of flashcard or note that has the animal tracks on it and whenever they find tracks outside in the garden (birds, rabbits, opossums, deer, etc.), they can use their notepads to match it to the animal. This is a great one to revisit in winter when there’s snow on the ground.
• Talk about plants that feed wildlife. Discuss what animals might eat in the garden. Are those growing in your garden? Have your child look for plants for bees or butterflies. Talk about seeds and berries that attract birds. Get younger kids involved by sensory exploring corn kernels and talk about which animals eat corn (deer, turkey, squirrel). Take a stroll through the veggie patch and look for plants rabbits might like, such as carrots and lettuce.
• Make comparisons to plants. Is there a plant in the garden with an animal name? Why might this be? Is it a particular characteristic, like the soft plumes of bunny tail grass, or a favorite food associated with particular wildlife, like bee balm or butterfly weed? Make garden labels for animal plant names. Create a matching game, matching the name to a picture of the plant and include an image of the animal too.
• Take a nature walk. Look for different kinds of wildlife or hide stuffed animals or other toys around the garden and look for “wildlife” that way.

These are just ideas. Use your imagination. Better yet, let your children guide you-- most are filled with questions.

Autism gardening therapy is becoming a fantastic therapeutic tool. This therapeutic tool, also known as horticultural therapy, has been used in rehab centers, hospitals, and nursing homes. It has become a natural passageway for use with autistic children and gardening. Creating autism friendly gardens benefits not only children on every level of the spectrum but their caregivers as well.

Gardening for Kids with Autism

Autism impairs communication and social skills. It may also cause several sensory issues, wherein an autistic individual may be over or under sensitive to external stimuli. Autism gardening therapy is an excellent way to tackle these issues.

Individuals who have added anxiety created with sensory processing issues greatly benefit from autism gardening therapy. Many people with autism, especially children, struggle with fine motor skills such as zipping up a coat or using scissors. A program combining autistic children and gardening can address these issues.

How Does Gardening for Kids with Autism Work?

Autism gardening therapy can help children with their communication skills. Many children, regardless of where they lie on the spectrum, struggle with using language in some way or another. Gardening is a physical activity involving the use of the hands; therefore, it doesn’t require much in the way of verbal skills. For those who are completely nonverbal, visual cues and photographs can be used to demonstrate tasks such as how to plant or care for seedlings.

Many autistic children have difficulty forming social relationships. Group gardening for kids with autism allows them to learn to work together towards a common goal without the need to converse or behave according to other social standards. 

Creating autism friendly gardens allows those with sensory issues to engage in an activity that is slow paced and relaxing. This allows individuals to take in the different stimuli available (such as color, smell, touch, sound, and taste) at a leisurely pace that is more readily taken in by kids with autism.

Autism friendly gardens that deal with sensory issues should incorporate plants of different color, texture, smell, and taste in as many ways as possible. Water features or wind chimes may provide a relaxing background of sound. Sensory gardens are ideal for this.

With autism gardening therapy, activities such as digging, weeding, and watering can help strengthen motor skills. Handling and gently transplanting young seedlings helps with fine motor development.

Many kids who may otherwise have difficulty with other extracurricular activities will excel when working with plants. In fact, this type of horticultural therapy has great promise as vocational training for autistic young adults and may lead to their first job. It helps them learn to work together in a setting, ask for help, build confidence along with enhancing behavioral and communication skills.

Quick Tips on Gardening for Kids with Autism

• Make the experience as easy, yet enjoyable, as possible.
• Start out with only a small garden.
• Use small plants to allow the child to stay engaged versus using seeds where they cannot see the results of their work right away.
• Choose lots of color and add neat objects to peak interest. This also allows opportunity to expand on language skills.
• When watering, only use the exact amount needed for your plant.

Gone are the days when leisure time for kids usually meant going outside getting into nature. Today, a child is far more likely to play games on smartphones or computers than run in the park or play kick-the-can in the backyard.

The separation of kids and nature has resulted in a number of issues lumped loosely together under the expression “nature deficit disorder.” What is nature deficit disorder and what does it mean for your kids?

Read on for information about how a lack of nature injures kids and tips on how to prevent nature deficit disorder.

What is Nature Deficit Disorder?

If you haven’t read anything about this issue, you are likely to ask, “What is nature deficit disorder?”. If you have read about it, you may wonder, “Is nature deficit disorder real?”.

Modern kids spend less and less time in the great outdoors, and the physical and emotional toll it is taking on their health is termed nature deficit disorder. When children aren’t exposed to nature, they lose interest in it and their curiosity about it. The effects of nature deficit disorder are detrimental and sadly very real.

Effects of Nature Deficit Disorder

This “disorder” is not a medical diagnosis but a term describing real consequences of too little nature in a child’s life. Research establishes that kids are physically and mentally healthier when they spend time in nature, including the garden.

When their lives are characterized by a lack of nature, the consequences are dire. The use of their senses diminishes, they have a hard time paying attention, tend to put on weight, and suffer from higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses.

In addition to the effects of nature deficit disorder on the health of a child, you have to factor in the effects on the future of the environment. Research shows that adults who identify themselves as environmentalists had transcendent experiences in the natural world. When children are not engaged with nature, they are not likely to take active steps as adults to preserve the natural world around them.

How to Prevent Nature Deficit Disorder

If you are wondering how to prevent nature deficit disorder in your children, you’ll be happy to hear that it is entirely possible. Kids provided with the chance to experience nature in any manner will interact and engage with it. The best way to get kids and nature together is for parents to reengage with the outdoors as well. Taking children out for hikes, to the beach, or on camping trips is a great way to start.

“Nature” doesn’t have to be pristine and wild to be beneficial. Those that live in cities can head to parks or even backyard gardens. For instance, you could start a vegetable garden with your kids or create a natural playground for them. Just sitting outdoors looking up at the clouds passing by or admiring a sunset can bring a sense of happiness and peace as well.

Creating a shamrock garden with your kids is a great way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Growing shamrocks together also gives parents a sneaky way to incorporate learning into a rainy day project. Of course, anytime you share your love of gardening with your child, you're strengthening the parent-child bond.

How to Grow Clover with Kids

If you're looking for fun ways to grow clover with children, consider these easy projects and the educational lessons you can include:

Planting Clover in the Lawn

White clover (Trifolium repens) is a great addition for a self-fertilizing lawn. Prior to the 1950's, clover was part of lawn seed mix. Clover requires less water, grows well in the shade and bees benefit from the pollen produced by the flowers. (Of course, you might want to avoid planting clover around the kid's play area to avoid bee stings.)

So grab some clover seed and let your kids have a ball throwing handfuls around the yard. The lesson they'll take away is that chemicals aren't necessary to grow a healthy, green lawn.

Planting Clover in Pots

Making an indoor shamrock garden is one of the fun ways to grow clover while teaching your children about the history of Saint Patrick. Decorate dollar store pots with paint, craft foam, or decoupage, fill with soil and lightly sprinkle on a spoonful of clover seed. Water before covering with plastic wrap. Keep the pot in a warm location.

Germination takes about a week. Once the seeds have sprouted, remove the plastic and keep the soil moist. As the clover seedlings unfurl their three-sectioned leaves, discuss how St. Patrick believed the leaves of white clover represented the holy trinity.

Pot of Gold Reading Tie-In

Check your local library for books about the pot of gold legend, then craft your own pots of gold. You'll need black plastic cauldrons (available online or at dollar stores), small stones, gold paint, and Oxalis (wood sorrel) plants or bulbs. These are often sold as “shamrock” plants around St. Patrick's Day.

Help your kids paint the small stones with the gold paint, then transplant the shamrock plants into the caldrons. Place the “gold” stones on top of the soil. For an added touch, use thick craft foam to make a rainbow. Glue the rainbow onto Popsicle sticks and insert it into the pot of gold.

Fostering a love of reading and incorporating the science of rainbows while growing shamrocks makes this activity the trifecta of craft projects for classrooms and at home.

Shamrock Fairy Garden

Choose a selection of clover or Oxalis varieties and turn a corner of the flowerbed into a leprechaun fairy garden. Use spray paint to create “gold” rocks. Add a leprechaun statue, fairy house, or signs with your favorite Irish sayings.

Use the garden to teach your children about Irish heritage or simply enjoy the pollinators that visit the beautiful flowers.

Fresh and Dried Leaf Crafts

Get the kids off the video games and outdoors with a clover scavenger hunt. Use the leaves for printing a St. Patrick's Day t-shirt or tote bag. Or dry the leaves between sheets of wax paper and use them to make artwork, like laminated placemats.

Add the challenge of searching for a four-leaf clover and make the game a life lesson about luck vs. hard work.

Once you get your kids hooked on gardening, they’ll be addicted for life. What better way to promote this rewarding activity than easy flowerpot crafts? DIY flowerpots are simple and inexpensive. They often use materials you already have around the house or provide a useful way to upcycle things that would otherwise end up in the landfill.

Read on to learn about easy flower pot crafts to try.

Fun Crafts for Families: Making Creative Planters with Kids

Here are a few ideas to pique your creativity:

• Keeping things neat: Making DIY flowerpots can be messy, so begin by covering the table with a plastic tablecloth or large trash bag. Save a few of Dad’s old shirts to protect clothing from paint or glue.
• Toy truck planters: If your kids no longer play with toy trucks, just fill the truck with potting soil to create an instant flowerpot. If you don’t have pots, you can usually find inexpensive plastic trucks at your local toy store.
• Colorful tissue paper pots: Let your kids tear colored tissue paper into small pieces until they have a good-sized pile. Use an inexpensive paintbrush to cover a pot with white glue, then stick the tissue paper pieces onto the pot while the glue is still wet. Continue until the entire pot is covered, then seal the pot with spray-on sealer or a thin layer of white glue. (Don’t worry about perfection with these DIY flower pots!).
• Thumbprint planters: When it comes to fun crafts for families, thumbprint pots are at the top of the list. Squeeze a few small blobs of bright acrylic paint onto a paper plate. Help your kids press their thumbs into their favorite color, then onto a clean terracotta pot. Older kids may want to use a small paintbrush or marker to turn thumbprints into flowers, bumblebees, ladybugs, or butterflies.
• Splatter flowerpots: Spray terra cotta pots with spray-on primer or other sealant. When the sealant is dry, pour a small amount of colorful acrylic paint into paper cups. Show your child how to load a brush with paint, then splatter the paint onto the pot. Let the pot dry for a couple of minutes, then hold the pot over a bucket or protected work surface. Spritz the pot lightly with water until the paint begins to run, creating a unique, marbled effect. (This is a good outdoor project).

Gardening with a baby is possible and can even be fun once your child is a few months old. Just follow some common-sense measures and make it a great experience for you both. Exercise reasonable precautions when allowing babies in the garden.

How to Garden with a Baby

Only take a baby into the garden when old enough to sit, crawl, and/or pull up. Find a sturdy, lightweight playpen for a shady spot near the garden. Be realistic as to how long the baby will be entertained with a few toys and the outdoor experience.

It may seem obvious to most people but you shouldn’t take the baby out in the heat of the day. Both mom and baby should stay indoors during hot, sunny times of the day, especially midday in summer, unless you’re in a shady area. Avoid having the baby in the sun for too long, if at all, and when you do it’s a good idea to apply proper sunscreen.

Apply a baby-safe insect repellant, or better yet, refrain from being outside when insects, such as mosquitoes, are most active – like later in the day.

Older children can help with keeping the baby occupied, as can your pets. When possible, make outdoor chore time in the garden a fun, family time. Don’t expect to work in the garden with an infant but rather use this time to take care of little tasks like harvesting veggies, cutting flowers, or simply sitting/playing in the garden.

Other Tips for Gardening with a Baby

If your baby is still an infant when gardening season begins, take advantage of those doting grandparents to watch baby (and other small children) while you’re outside working. Or, take turns with other gardening adults in the household as to who will garden and who will care for the baby. Perhaps you can alternate with a friend who also has a baby and a garden.

Use a babysitter for those trips to the garden center, where you’ll be lugging bags of soil and concentrating on buying seeds and plants. It’s can be dangerous leaving baby in a hot car even for a short time while you’re loading it with necessities.

If your garden spot is not near the house, this is a good time to begin some container gardening closer to the home. Care for potted flowers and veggies on the porch and then move them to a nearby sunny spot or whatever works in your layout. You might bring a baby monitor outside with you for short periods of time as well.

Gardening with a baby is manageable and should be fun for all involved. Safety is top priority. As the child grows, you’ll be glad they’re accustomed to the gardening process. As they get a little older, you might give them a little garden spot of their own, because you know they’ll want to help. They’ll also be happy they’ve learned this skill set at an early age.

If you are still digging potatoes out of your garden, you may have a few extra spuds that you can dedicate to potato arts and crafts. If you’ve never thought about craft ideas for potatoes, there are more than a few. In fact, potatoes can be a great resource for kids' arts and crafts projects. Read on for cool craft ideas for potatoes.

Things to Do with Potatoes

Potato crafts for kids are perfect for a dreary winter day or rainy afternoon. Here are a few ideas to jumpstart your creative juices.

Potato Stamps

One of the greatest potato craft ideas is surprisingly easy: using cut potatoes to stamp paint onto fabric or paper. Make the potato stamp by cutting the tater in half. Then select a metal cookie cutter and press it into the potato flesh.

When the cutter is deep in a potato half, take out all of the potato around the outside of the cutter so you can press out the shape. Dry it on a paper towel.

Now comes the fun-for-kids part. Have your kids dip or blot the potato shape into paint, then press the design onto a T-shirt, plain fabric, or piece of paper. These are great to make cards, wrapping paper, or even gifts for the grandparents.

Mr. Potato Head

This is good for older children or done with the supervision of a parent. Let each child pick a potato, ideally one that looks sort of like a human head. Tell the kids to use their imagination to decorate the potato like a head. For extra fun, provide googly eyes and thumb tacks in different colors.

You might also supply individual sized yogurt containers for hats, sparkles, beads or the like for eyes, and bits of felt for grins. Yarn can make cool hair. For a lengthier project, suggest a Mr. and Ms. Potato Head.

Potato Art Sculptures

Your kids can create potato art by creating potato sculptures. Use a wooden skewer to unite three potatoes of progressively smaller sizes, and then use paint to give the sculpture personality. Bits of wood can be arms while sequins or raisins are great eyes.

Alternatively, mash potatoes and then add enough flour to create a substance that feels like clay. Let the kids model the clay into different types of potato art sculptures.

It is never too early to get kids interested in plants and the ways Mother Nature has equipped them to survive. Even young tots can grasp complex concepts, like osmosis, if you create experiments that hold their attention. Here’s one to get you started: the great celery dye experiment.

This is a great family project that involves celery sticks that turn colors as they absorb colored water. Read on for instructions on how to dye celery.

Celery Dye Experiment

Kids know that garden plants don’t eat or drink like people do. An explanation of osmosis – the process by which plants uptake water and nutrients – can quickly become too confusing for young children though.

By engaging your younger kids, even toddlers, in the celery dye experiment, they will get to see plants drinking instead of hearing an explanation of it. Since changing the color of celery is fun, the entire experiment should be an adventure.

How to Dye Celery

You don’t need much to get this color changing celery project underway. In addition to celery, you’ll need a few clear glass jars or cups, water, and food coloring.

Explain to your children that they are about to do an experiment to see how plants drink. Then have them line up the glass jars or cups on the kitchen counter or table and fill each one with about 8 ounces of water. Let them put three or four drops of one shade of the food coloring into each cup.

Separate the celery packet into stalks with leaves, cutting a little off the bottom of each stalk. Pull out lighter, leafier stalks from the center of the bunch and have your kids put several in each jar, stirring up the water and blending in the food coloring drops.

Have your children guess what might happen and write down their predictions. Let them check on the color changing celery after 20 minutes. They should see the dye color in little dots in the tops of the stalks. Rip open one piece of celery of each color to trace from the inside how water is mounting.

Check again after 24 hours. Which colors spread best? Let your kids vote on the prediction that came to closest to what happened.

The best way to introduce the joy of gardening to your kids is to make it fun. One sure way to accomplish this is to engage them in plant art for kids, using actual plants! Take a look at the following ideas for children’s plant art, and introduce your kids to creative art projects using plants.

Plant Crafts for Kids: Coloring Flowers with Food Dye

This is a fun experiment for older kids, but younger kids will need a little help. All you need are glass jars, food coloring, and a few white flowers such as gerbera daisies, carnations, or mums.

Fill several jars with water and two or three drops of food coloring, and then put one or two flowers in each jar. Encourage your kids to watch as the color moves up the stem and tints the petals.

This simple children’s plant art is a great way to demonstrate how water is transported up the stem and into the leaves and petals.

Kids’ Plant Art: Leaf Rubbings

Go for a walk around the neighborhood, or in your local park. Help your kids gather a few interesting leaves of various sizes. If you notice flowers with thin petals, gather a few of those, too.

When you get home, arrange the leaves and petals on a solid surface, then cover them with thin paper (like tracing paper). Rub the broad side of a crayon or a piece of chalk over the paper. Outlines of the leaves and petals will appear.

Plant Art for Kids: Simple Sponge Paintings

Use a sharp knife or scissors to create flower shapes out of household sponges. Dip the sponges into tempera paint or watercolor, then stamp a garden of colorful flowers on a piece of white paper.

Your young artist can complete the garden by drawing stems with a crayon or marker. Older kids might like to add glitter, buttons, or sequins. (Use heavy paper for this project).

Art Projects from Plants: Pressed Flower Bookmarks

Pressed flower bookmarks are lovely gifts for booklovers. Look for fresh flowers that are naturally flat, like violets or pansies. Pick them in the morning, after the dew has evaporated.

Put the flowers between paper towels or tissue paper. Set them on a flat surface and place a phone book, encyclopedia, or another heavy book on top. The flower should be flat and dry in a few days.

Help your child seal the dry flower between two pieces of clear shelf or adhesive paper, then cut the paper into bookmark shapes. Punch a hole at the top and thread a piece of yarn or a colorful ribbon through the hole.

Many studies have been made on how gardening can positively influence the physical and mental wellbeing of gardeners. Whether growing herbs in a small container garden or making a much larger planting, the process of working the soil is invaluable to many growers. In recent years, the concept of horticultural therapy has gained popularity as a means for people to overcome physical, emotional, and behavioral barriers in their everyday lives. Therapeutic gardening for kids has specifically shown great promise as an effective way to help combat behavioral issues and to improve the self-esteem of children.

How Gardening Helps Kids

With the development of school and community gardens, the impact of planting vegetables and flowers with children has come into focus. These school gardens are undoubtedly a valuable classroom resource. However, they may also contribute to the overall well-being of students. The development of outdoor hobbies and interacting with nature can enhance our lives. Therapeutic gardening for kids is certainly no exception to this thinking.

As many educators have learned, gardening as therapy for children has provided kids with valuable tools for life. Gardening is even being explored as a supplemental method by which children with behavioral issues may be able to learn new skills.

When it comes to the improvement of behavioral problems and gardening, many new growers are able to foster feelings of calmness and achievement. It is believed that gardening for behavioral disorders can build self-confidence in children, as the planting and care for the growing space will require both accountability and a sense of ownership.

In addition to these positive attributes, gardening as therapy for children can help to fight mental issues, as well as establish life habits that promote health and wellness. By considering needs of students, many school districts are implementing the use of gardening as a tool for children to learn more about nature and explore their own sense of self.

Creating a natural playground is a wonderful way to expose your child to the fascinating world of dirt, plants, bugs and other living and natural things. Such a space will bring out the inner explorer, scientist, theologist, chef, philosopher and more from your child's mind. A garden playground for kids will also provide an endlessly entertaining and versatile play area that keeps kids outside in fresh air and active.

Encouraging Nature Play

Children respond to nature like flowers respond to bees. Their world is opened up and further beauty and wonder become apparent while new ideas and ways of looking at things are born. Giving your child this look into nature and all its possibilities is a gift of love and develops an appreciation for the planet that will last well into adulthood. Encouraging nature play starts by involving children in outdoor activities and fostering their natural curiosity. A garden playground for kids hits all the marks and is an activity zone that they can enjoy on a daily basis. Kids like to do projects like planting seeds, building forts and mazes, or helping to create habitat for both wild and domestic animals. Their endless curiosity about everything around them encompasses the wild spaces that are not manipulated and are completely natural. Children get maximum sensory experiences when exposed to nature and their wide eyed take on the outdoors is always individual and unique. Learning how to build a garden playground can help impart a love of this planet along with a sense of ownership and responsibility. It can be something as simple as a small space in the backyard that is turned over to the child to develop in whatever way suits him/her or as a planned space with set activities that utilize the child's skills and asks them to cultivate the area within a curriculum. Public parks have great programs from which you can draw that emphasize learning and nature in a hands-on manner.

How to Build a Garden Playground

A garden playground is so much more than monkey bars and a slide, although these can be incorporated into the design. A child's outdoor space is also a classroom and should provide stimuli in the forms of sight, sound, touch, and even taste.

• A culinary garden planted and tended by a child allows him/her to see the fruits of their labor and develop an appreciation for where their food comes from and how it is grown.
• Paths, mazes and special forts open the space to such imaginary places as a pirate's den or even a princess' tower.
• Water features, such as ponds, can hold fish which give the child a sense of responsibility and propriety as they tend to their aquatic friends.

Creating a natural playground can encompass all or just a few of these types of spaces. The key is to allow the child to mold the space into something he or she can enjoy and appreciate. Providing some tools will enhance a garden playground for kids and involve them in garden activities. The first thing you will need is a space. It may be the sand box, a corner of your garden plot, a secret garden in the landscape, or any other outdoor area that can capture the imagination. Next, provide activities and tools. These may be child sized garden implements, a bug catching kit, sketch pads and other art supplies, standard outdoor toys, boxes and crates, and anything that could have a function if applied to the imagination. Ideally, the space should have plenty of seasonal change or the ability to adapt to its user's wishes. Including vegetation and perhaps animals only enhances the space and amps up the interest level of the space. One of the simpler but more magical ways to create a garden playground is by planting sunflowers. Children can help plant, care for and watch these monstrous plants as they grow. The area then becomes a maze of color and the possibilities for play are endless.

Gardens for kids can be great learning tools, but they are also fun and practical. Teach your children about plants, biology, food and nutrition, teamwork, weather, and so many other things just by growing a garden together.

What Is a Learning Garden?

A learning garden is typically a school garden, but it may also be a community garden or even just a family’s backyard garden. Regardless of location and how many people are involved, gardens for education are outdoor classrooms, gardens designed specifically to get children involved and to teach them a variety of lessons.

There are many lessons that can go into a learning garden. You can design yours to be focused on one or two, or on a variety. For instance, you might want to start a garden with your children to teach them about food and nutrition or about self-sufficiency. Improving kids' diets, for example, could help in the fight against obesity. Getting kids involved in growing vegetables can help them learn to like the things they grow, making it easier to get them to "eat their veggies." In some cases, kids may even ask mom or dad, "Can we have a garden?"

Gardens for kids may be more focused on science, how plants grow and how they are part of a larger ecosystem. And, who knows, perhaps one day these children could even persuade school cooks to incorporate produce from their school gardens into school lunches.

How to Make a Learning Garden

Making a learning garden doesn’t have to be much different from any other garden. Here are some learning garden ideas to get you started:

• Start a vegetable garden to get your kids involved in their own nutrition and to encourage better eating habits. Extra harvested vegetables can be donated to a local soup kitchen, teaching kids important lessons about giving.
• A native plant garden can help your kids learn about their local ecosystem and how plants support insects, birds, and other animals.
• A hydroponic or aquaponic garden is a great way to teach science lessons, like how plants get nutrients.
• A greenhouse garden allows you to grow plants year round and to grow those plants you might not otherwise be able to due to your local climate.

Any type of garden, big or small, can be a learning garden. Start out small if the idea is overwhelming, but most importantly, get the kids involved in it. They should be there right from the start, even helping with the planning.

Learn How One Garden Is Teaching Kids To Grow

Kids can help plan and use math skills and elements of design. They can also get involved with starting seeds, transplanting, fertilizing, watering, pruning, and harvesting. All aspects of gardening will help kids learn a variety of lessons, planned or not.

Young children love to plant seeds and watch them grow. Older children can learn more complex propagation methods as well. Find out more about making plant propagation lesson plans in this article.

Plant Propagation for Kids

Teaching plant propagation to children begins with the simple activity of planting seeds. You can take it a step further with older children by including one or more methods of asexual reproduction, such as cuttings, division, or offsets. The amount of information to include depends on the child’s age and the time you have to spend on propagation.

Starting Seeds with Kids

Below is a simple procedure for teaching kids about seed propagation. First, you’ll need to gather your supplies, which will include the following items:

• Small flowerpots with holes in the bottom. Yogurt cups make fine pots.
• Seed starting mix. Buy a packaged mix or make your own from 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite, and 1 part coir (coconut fiber) or peat moss.
• Ruler
• Saucers to place under the pots
• Water
• Seeds: Peas, beans, nasturtiums, and sunflowers are all good choices.
• Zipper bags. Make sure they are large enough to hold the flowerpots.

Fill the pots with seed starting mix to about 1 ½ inches (4 cm.) from the top with seed starting mix. Set the pot on the saucer and moisten the mix with water. Place two or three seeds near the center of each pot and cover the seeds with about 1 to 1 1/2 inch (2.5-4 cm.) of soil. NOTE: if you choose smaller seeds than the ones suggested here, adjust the depth accordingly. Place the pot in the zipper bag and seal it. Observe daily and remove the pot from the bag as soon as the plant emerges. Clip out the smallest or weakest plants when they are about 3 inches (8 cm.) tall, leaving only one sturdy seedling.

Propagating Plants with Kids via Cuttings, Division, or Offsets

Cuttings - Cuttings are perhaps the most common form of asexual propagation. Pothos and philodendron are good plants to use because they have lots of stems and they root easily in a glass of water. Make cuttings 4 to 6 inches (10-15 cm.) long and remove enough of the lower leaves so that only the stems are underwater. When the roots are about 3 inches (8 cm.) long, transplant them in a pot filled with potting soil. Division - You can demonstrate the division of tubers with seed potatoes. Make sure you get your potatoes from a seed store. Grocery store potatoes are often treated with growth inhibitors to prevent the eyes from sprouting. Cut the seed potatoes apart so that each eye has at least an inch (2.5 cm.) cube of potato with it. Plant the pieces under 2 inches (5 cm.) of moist soil. Offsets - Spider plants and strawberries develop an abundance of offsets, and nothing could be easier to propagate. Simply snip off the baby plants and plant them in the center of a pot filled with potting soil. Be careful not to bury the upper parts of the baby plant under the soil.

Teaching kids about organic gardening is a fantastic way both to spend time together and to give them a sense of wonder and respect for plants. Organic gardening with kids can be very easy and rewarding, as long as you keep things simple. Keep reading to learn more about organic gardening for beginners and garden tips for kids.

Organic Gardening with Kids

When organic gardening with kids, simplicity is the name of the game. Keep your garden space small - a 6 x 6 foot (2 x 2 m.) patch should be plenty. If you don’t have the space for an in-ground garden, containers are a great alternative. Make sure to leave room to walk between your rows, as this will make for easier movement and teach kids to stay on paths. You can put down some flat stones to make a clear path to stick to as well.

Organic Garden Lesson Ideas

When picking plants to grow, opt for those that have fast, solid payoff. Radishes grow fast and early and should get kids excited for a whole summer of gardening. Beans and peas grow fast and produce lots of pods that are fun to pick and easy to eat. Plants like squash, tomatoes, and peppers should keep producing throughout the summer, and you and your kids can track the progress of the fruit, watching it grow and change color. If you have the space, supplement your faster growing crops with a pumpkin vine. You can watch it grow all summer and make a homegrown jack-o-lantern in the fall. If you’re looking for easy-to-grow flowers, you can’t go wrong with marigolds and sunflowers. Whatever you choose to grow, make it special and be forgiving. Even if the seeds spill, or they don’t get sown in a straight line, your kids will see them grow into real plants and real vegetables, giving them a cool look into nature and food production. And since the garden is “organic,” with no harmful chemicals, the garden will be a welcoming place for pollinators, another great topic to cover with your children as they watch in wonder while pollination takes place.

You want your little ones to know where food comes from and how much work it takes to grow, and it wouldn’t hurt if they would eat those veggies! Creating snack gardens for kids is the perfect way to instill that appreciation into your kids, and I guarantee they will eat it! Read on to find out how to create a children’s snack garden.

How to Create a Children’s Snack Garden

When I was little, you couldn’t get me to eat a tomato – never, no way, yuck! That is until my grandfather, an avid gardener as well as a frequent babysitter, got me out into his garden. Suddenly, cherry tomatoes were a revelation. Many kids completely change their minds about veggies when they are the ones participating in the gardening and harvesting. To get them interested, choose an area of the garden just for them. It doesn’t have to be a large area; in fact, even some window boxes will do the trick. The key to enticing them is to plant garden snack foods. That is, crops that can be seen growing and can then be plucked and eaten immediately after harvest. It might be called a snack garden or, more appropriately, a pick and eat garden for kids.

Snack Garden Plants

What kind of snack garden plants work well for children? Garden snack foods such as carrots and cherry, grape, or pear tomatoes are obvious choices to grow in a pick and eat garden for kids. When you’re creating a snack garden for kids, you don’t want to go too exotic and you want to capture their interest. Radishes and lettuces are rapid growers and come to fruition quickly enough that the young harvesters won’t get bored and lose interest. Kale also grows quickly and while the kids might not take to it as is, they usually love kale chips. Berries of all sorts are kid crowd pleasers, no doubt because they are sweet. The added bonus is that berries are generally perennials, so you will enjoy the fruits of your labor for years to come. Cucumbers are also a good choice for garden snack foods. They come in smaller sizes that, again, grow quite rapidly and are usually prolific. Sugar snap peas are another crowd pleaser. Dare I say again, due to their sweet flavor. Beans are fun to grow and pick with children. Plus, a bean teepee support makes a great secret hideout for little ones. Beans also come in pretty colors, such as purple or scarlet striped. Speaking of pretty colors, you might also include some edible flowers amongst your snack garden plants. I suggest this with the caveat that the children are old enough to understand that not every flower is edible. Select only edible flowers such as:

• Violets
• Pansies
• Pot marigolds
• Nasturtiums
• Sunflowers

Incorporating these blossoms into the pick and eat garden for kids will add a splash of color as well as attract butterflies and bees, another opportunity to teach them about the importance of pollination.

Themed gardens are a lot of fun. They can be exciting for kids, but there’s nothing to say grownups can’t enjoy them just as much. They make for a great talking point, as well as a fantastic challenge to the intrepid gardener: what can you find that fits your theme? How creative can you get? One interesting option is a sci-fi or outer space theme. Keep reading to learn more about cosmic garden plants and creating an outer space garden.

How to Create an Outer Space Garden Theme

When creating an outer space garden, there are two main directions you can go. One is to pick plants whose names are sci-fi and outer space related. The other is to choose plants that look like they belong on an alien planet. If you have enough room, of course, you can do both. It’s actually remarkably easy to find plants with good names that will fit right into this theme. This is because certain plants hybridize very well, and each new hybrid gets a name of its own. Some plants with lots of sci-fi themed names include:

• Hostas (Super Nova, Galaxy, Voyager, Gamma Ray, Lunar Eclipse)
• Daylilies (Andromeda, Asteroid, Black Hole, Big Dipper, Cloaking Device)
• Coleus (Vulcan, Darth Vader, Solar Flare, Saturn’s Rings)

Lots of other plants fit the bill too, such as these:

• Cosmos
• Rocket plant
• Star cactus
• Moonflower
• Jupiter’s beard
• Venus fly trap
• Golden star
• Moonwort
• Star grass

Maybe you want your outer space garden designs to be more visual. Some cosmic garden plants look like they came straight out of outer space and have an otherworldly feel to them.

• Many carnivorous plants sure do, having unusual looking shapes or protrusions.
• Horsetail puts up bright green, striped stalks that could easily grow on a different planet.
• Oriental poppies produce seed pods that look like flying saucers once the flowers have passed.
• Even vegetables can have UFO appeal. Try adding some scallop squash or UFO pumpkin plants to the garden, both of which produce flying saucer shaped fruit.

Do a little research online and you will find a number of suitable plants for an outer space garden design.

Whether you’re a big kid or have children of your own, creating an Alice in Wonderland garden is a fun, whimsical way to landscape the garden. If unsure about how to create an Alice in Wonderland garden, begin by rereading the book in its entirety to get your creative juices flowing and your head dancing with Alice in Wonderland garden ideas. Call it pleasurable research.

Alice in Wonderland Storybook Garden Tips

There’s a lot of ground to cover in Alice in Wonderland, all of it more fantastical than the previous. Things that stand out are the various sizes Alice goes through, one minute little and the next enormous. Then there’s the Mad Hatter’s tea party and guests, the white rabbit and his obsession with time, and the landscape within the story-- sometimes English garden pretty and sometimes loud with bold colors and quirky shapes. When considering Alice in Wonderland garden ideas, you may want to compare both plants and unusual garden art reminiscent of Alice’s world. For instance, pathways, doors, or archways lead one off into secret gardens that mirror scenes from the beloved story. Lighting to highlight certain plants or areas also keeps the garden feeling dreamy.

How to Create an Alice in Wonderland Garden

Choose plants that have radically different sizes and brilliant colors when creating an Alice in Wonderland garden. Dinner-plate hibiscus or dahlia flowers with blossoms that can be 10 to 12 inches (25-31 cm.) across are perfect and come in brilliant colors. Some clematis varieties also have blooms that are inordinately large and make quite a statement, as well as making for a lovely bower. No English garden would be complete without roses and with their wide array of colors and sizes to choose from, making perfect additions to Alice’s garden. If roses are a little tame and you want something that is more out of this world, add prickly caterpillar beans with their purple and white striping punctuated by spines. Maypop or passionflower is another bloom worthy of a fantasy garden. Parrot tulips, with their ruffled petals and myriad colors, work well in a storybook garden, as does the brilliantly blue honeywort. Purple allium with large puffy, purple heads is another quirky plant to add to the storybook garden. Snakes head fritillaria not only has a fabulous name but its unique flowers, with their checkerboard pattern, fit in beautifully in the fantasy garden. If you live in a warm region, try adding some tropical flora like pink banana to your surrealistic garden. The only limits to creating Alice’s garden are your imagination and USDA zone. As mentioned above regarding storybook garden tips, add some garden art, lighting, doors, paths, and even water features. Scour secondhand shops, garage sales, and swap meets and find something that tickles your fancy. It doesn’t have to be in perfect shape and a little paint always goes a long way. Keep in mind some of the key elements of the story when selecting. For example, all of the following are major players in Alice’s story:

• Teacups and tea pots
• Mushrooms
• Caterpillars
• Rabbits
• Pink flamingos
• Clocks
• Playing cards

It wouldn’t be surprising that once you dive into the rabbit hole with Alice, you will become so enchanted that you may never stop adding to your storybook garden.

Orchids are popular indoor plants, valued for their unique, exotic beauty. The orchid world boasts somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 different species, many of which are a bit on the finicky side. However, there are plenty of easy-to-grow orchids for children who are interested in growing these fascinating plants. Read on and learn how to grow an orchid with your child.

Growing Orchids with Kids

Learning how to grow an orchid with your child is easy enough with a bit of homework. Once you’ve gathered info about the best beginner orchids for kids, take your child on a shopping expedition and let him or her select an orchid. Help your child learn about orchid growing conditions, and how to choose the best spot for the orchid. Read the tag carefully and keep in mind that different orchids have varying needs for light and temperature. Allow your child to select a container for the orchid. Older children may be interested in personalizing a ceramic or terracotta plant with colorful paint. Young children love stickers. Instruct your child how to water an orchid properly. Many orchid aficionados recommend that orchids are happy with three ice cubes per week. Thus, watering is easy and spills are minimized. However, consider the needs of your particular orchid.

Beginner Orchids for Kids

To help get you started, here are some of the best children’s orchids: Moth orchids – Easy to find and even easier to grow, many pros think this tough, adaptable orchid, with flowers that resemble moths, is one of the best beginner orchids for kids. Moth orchid, which usually produces several long-lasting blooms per stem, comes in a large range of colors, including salmon, pink, purple, white, and yellow, often with speckles or blotches. Dendrobium – This is a huge genus with well over a thousand species. Dendrobium orchids produce long-lasting blooms in shades of pink, purple, white, and green. Cymbidium – A popular, low-maintenance orchid with long-lasting blooms, Cymbidium orchids are large plants with strappy foliage and an abundance of showy blooms in a huge range of colors. Cattleya – Also known as corsage orchid, cattleya orchids are among the easiest and most rewarding orchids to grow. Many types are large and showy, while others may be delightfully fragrant. The ruffly blooms come in orange, yellow, purple, pink, red, white, often with distinctive markings. Ludisia – Also known as jewel orchids, Ludisia orchids are grown primarily for their spectacular, purplish-brown foliage with pink stripes. The tall, upright spikes with small white flowers are a nice bonus. Oncidium – This orchid displays fragrant blooms that resemble dancing ladies, thus the moniker “dancing lady orchids.” Oncidium orchids produce large clusters of tiny, colorful blooms, often with contrasting markings. This orchid is considered by many to be one of the best beginner orchids for kids. Lady’s slippers – This unique orchid, also known as Venus slippers, produces variegated foliage that looks lovely even when the plant isn’t blooming. Lady’s slippers orchids tend to bloom in abundance, however, often with several blooms per stem. Cockleshell – A very easy orchid, cockleshell is appreciated for its purple flowers with showy, lime green sepals. This tropical orchid sometimes blooms all year long.

Getting kids to share in your passion for gardening isn't always easy. Many view it just as hot, dirty work or too educational. Planting living willow structures can be a fun project to do with kids, and they may not even notice that they are actually learning something in the process. A living willow dome can become a secret playhouse, as well as teach children how to care for and maintain living plants. You may be asking, what is a willow dome? Read more to learn about building with willow branches.

Building Living Willow Structures

A willow dome is a teepee or dome-shaped structure made from living willow whips or branches. These willow whips can be purchased online in bundles or kits. Many of these lots also come with willow dome instructions. You can also try to use strong sturdy willow whips taken from your own dormant willow trees. Be sure to use only long, sturdy whips that are pliable enough to be arched in to a structure. To make a willow dome, you will need:

• Several long, sturdy dormant willow whips
• Strong garden twine
• Weed barrier fabric
• Landscape marking paint

First, select the area where you would like to create your willow dome. The area should be large enough that a few children or adults can have room to move around in the structure. Lay out and secure the weed barrier fabric to cover the desired size of your dome’s floor. The fabric will be laid out and secured in a big square shape, with excess fabric being cut off after the structure is built. With your landscape marking paint, spray a big circular guideline where you will plant the structure’s willow whip walls. When your circle is marked out, you may begin planting your willow whips around the circle. Start by deciding where you want the willow dome doorway and how wide you would like it. On each side of this doorway, plant one to three strong but pliable willow whips. Secure these whips together at the top of the doorway with twine. Then around the marked outer circle, plant a strong, sturdy willow whip slightly diagonally, each a foot (.3 m.) apart. For example, plant the first willow whip one foot away from the already planted doorway slightly leaning to the left. Moving along your marked out circle, measure another foot away from the whip you just planted and plant a willow whip slightly leaning to the right. Continue planting willow whips in this alternating diagonal way, each one foot apart, all around the circumference of your marked out circle. The thickest, strongest willow whips in your bundle should be used for this. Once your main willow walls have been planted, you can fill in the one foot gaps, by planting the smaller, weaker willow whips vertically. This will depend on how dense and bushy you want your dome to be. Now that your walls are planted, here comes the tricky part. With as many a hands as you can get to help create your living willow structure, gently arch and weave the willow whips to create a dome or teepee like roof. Use strong twine to secure the woven structure. The top of the dome can be formed into a tidy dome shape by weaving and arching the whips or they can be just bundled together at the top in a teepee fashion. Trim off excess weed barrier fabric around the dome and water your planted playhouse well.

Willow Dome Maintenance

Your living willow structure should be treated like any new plantings. Water well immediately after planting. I always like to water any new plantings with a root stimulating fertilizer. Willows require a lot of water when establishing, so give it water every day for the first week, then every other day for the next two weeks. When the willow whips leaf out, it may be necessary to trim the outside to keep its dome or teepee shape. You may also have to do a little trimming on the inside. If your willow dome is used as a playhouse for kids or just a secret retreat for yourself, I recommend treating it with insecticide to deter ticks and other unhealthy critters from also trying to move in.

Television and video games have their place, but making a garden play area is a great way to entice your kids away from electronic gadgets and introduce them to the glory of gardening and the wonders of nature. Making a play garden doesn’t require a lot of time or money, but the payoffs are huge. Read on for a few children’s play garden ideas.

How to Make Play Gardens for Kids

How to make play gardens? There’s really nothing to it! Simply designate a small space just for kids – a few square feet is plenty. If you don’t have a yard, you can make a children’s play garden on your balcony, using a wading pool, a large plastic storage container, or anything that will hold dirt. If you choose to use a plastic container, be sure to drill a few small holes in the bottom; otherwise, your play garden will be a soggy mess every time it rains. When you’re planning a play garden, keep in mind that dirt is the most important element! If the thought makes you a little squeamish, consider this: The National Wildlife Federation reports that contact with dirt improves kids’ mood, reduces stress, improves classroom performance, and that’s not all – the healthy bacteria in dirt actually strengthens the immune system! Of course, you can always fall back on play sand too. Although it isn’t an absolute necessity, some type of border outlines the play garden and makes the area feel special. Take a look at inexpensive flower bed edging available at any home improvement or garden center. You can also outline the area with pretty, low-growing plants. For example, plant a few bright bloomers, like dwarf zinnias or gerbera daisies, or nice-to-touch plants like lamb’s ear or dusty miller.

Garden Features for Kids

So what goes in the play garden? When it comes to garden features for kids, keep it simple and consider what will make the garden fun. Most kids love to play with various containers such as plastic watering cans, sand buckets, plastic bowls or old pots and pans, baking sheets, muffin tins or various other mud pie containers. Invest a few dollars in sturdy, kid-sized garden tools like miniature trowels, shovels and rakes. Don’t buy cheap tools that break easily; frustration can detract from the joy of a play garden.

Children’s Play Garden Ideas

Remember that a play garden is for your kids. Include them in planning, and then let them claim total ownership. If you have space, include a small patch of grass to provide a soft area for playing. You can even plant grass in a plastic basin or baking pan. Consider placing a bird feeder near the garden, or a few plant butterfly-friendly plants nearby. If possible, part of the play garden should be in shade to prevent sunburn during hot afternoons. Most kids love a special, floppy hat just for gardening. Also, remember the sunscreen.