Six ways to get your kids outside!
Are you longing to get out in the garden?
I know I am!
When Little Miss Green was younger, she used to love nothing more than to follow me around with a bucket and mini spade of her own.
Her favourite activity was harvesting potatoes and watching the butterflies and bees go about their business collecting nectar.
Getting children interested in gardening from a young age gives you a great chance of real hands-on and fun education.
I was shocked to read for instance, that fewer than half of young UK adults know butter comes from a dairy cow and a third do not know eggs come from hens.
A friend of mine who works voluntarily with teenagers said the majority of them did not know that chips were made from potatoes or where potatoes came from!
Fortunately there are people who are as passionate about getting children outdoors as I am!
Budding young gardeners
Hayes garden world have a ‘Budding Young Gardeners’ section on their site which is free to join.
As a Budding Young Gardener you will receive an exclusive free Membership Pack, complete with pen, badge, stickers and activities, to get you started on the road to enjoying great times in the garden.
Topics to get involved with this spring include making bird feeders, and you’ll discover lots of interesting facts to get kids bursting to get outdoors to explore.
If you fancy getting your hands in the soil, why not check out their guide to bee friendly plants? There are blooms available for spring, summer, autumn and winter so we can ensure our buzzy friends are kept healthy and happy all year round.
Here are some other ideas to foster a love of the outdoors with your toddlers:
Wormery
Start a compost heap or if you’re short on space set up a wormery – kids love their wiggly friends.
You can make a simple upcycled wormery for next to no cost with reclaimed materials.
Forage
Find out which ‘weeds’ are edible in your garden and make yourself a home-foraged meal.
Eat outdoors on some sustainably harvested wooden garden furniture (Hayes again) – we all know food tastes better outdoors!
Bee kind
Make a bee hotel and provide comfortable B&B for your visiting Bees!
You can find simple instructions online for making a bee hotel, using old bamboo canes.
Grow a maze
If you have room you could plant a maze from sunflowers, then harvest the seeds in the autumn for winter snacks.
Your kids will love getting lost in their own maze during summertime and the flowers will provide welcome shade when the sun is hot.
Touch and feel
Plant a sensory garden – include lambs ears for it’s soft downy leaves, yarrow for its feathery texture and teasel for its prickles.
You don’t need a huge plot of land – if you have a small garden, plant in a half barrel.
Water consumption
All kids love water play but it’s not good for the environment to turn on the sprinkler or hose pipe.
Instil a reverence for nature by installing a rain barrel then use this water in various bowls and cups outdoors.
What about you? What activities do your kids love doing outdoors?