Being out in the garden is a great way of spending quality time with your kids, and when you have a lot of free time on your hands, there’s nothing better than engaging in a project with your little ones.
Gardening activities, ideas and projects offer many valuable lessons which include math skills, science, and important values such as responsibility, discipline, creativity, and it’s also a great way to encourage your kids to try something out of the ordinary.
It doesn’t matter how big or small your garden is or if you don’t have a garden at all, any of these activities will be great for you and your kids. Let’s get started!
Herb Garden
If you’ve always wanted to start a garden, you may want to start small. A herb garden is the perfect way to try your green thumb and get your children excited as well. Garden centers and supermarkets sell herb plants for just a few rands and growing the most common ones, such as parsley, basil, mint, etc., is super easy and low-maintenance. You can also grow them in pots and keep them by your kitchen window or in your backyard!
Paint Pots
You may not have a garden, but you surely have an area inside or out, with potted plants. They’re probably dull and boring, so why not take your children outside with a bunch of paint and get creative? Where the only rule is to get creative! Take the pots and help your children pick out colours they want to use and suggest patterns they can use to decorate the pots. You can also do this with any rocks you may have lying around!
Make a Terrarium
Terrariums are gorgeous and they’re a great way to engage your children. All you’ll need is large, wide-necked jars, small stones or gravel for the base, decorative stones, potting mix and a small plant of your choice; cacti and succulents are the most popular choice. Once you have your jar, prepare the base with the small stones or gravel, then fill a quarter of the jar with potting mix and plant your cactus or succulent.
Vegetable Garden
Vegetable gardens can be a lot of work, but when you get your children involved, it becomes an incredible learning experience for you all. There are many lessons to be had, not just about science and practical knowledge, but also about discipline, hard work, patience, and reaping your own rewards. Again, you don’t need a garden to start growing veggies, you can plant certain vegetables on pots, including cherry tomatoes, zucchinis, and more. Your children will love the experience of being able to produce something and they’ll be that much more excited to eat it!
These are only a few ideas to help you get started and any one of them is a great opportunity for you to teach your children something new and spend some time outdoors for a change!
