TOTS, POTS AND SEEDS - ideas for childrens' gardening week

Ideas for Childrens' Gardening Week - sprouting soon!

(sorry for delay in getting these posted  - busy, busy!)

Easy to grow seeds with fairly quick results include cress, radishes, dwarf green beans and courgette; nasturtiums, pot marigolds (calendula) and sunflowers are all edible too - sprinkle flower petals on your salads. All can be grown in a pot, even a courgette plant if you have a biggish pot to transfer into and keep up the watering.

Jack (or Jill) and the beanstalk

Start off your beans indoors in a jar or glass. You will need an inner from a toilet roll, or sheets of kitchen towel rolled up to fit in a clean glass or jar. Pour in an inch or so of water in the bottom so it soaks the paper and then carefully slide a bean seed down the side of the glass. 

(The bean should not be in the water.) Add more water as necessary. it will take about 10 days or so for your bean to sprout and grow roots. 

Make a rainbow

On a sheet of paper or card, using glue or double sided tape (I would suggest flour paste but that's in short supply these days), stick a variety of leaves and petals from plants in your garden to create a rainbow.

Paint a picture

Use leafy twigs, cuttings from your plants, old flower stalks, grass seed heads and other collected materials tied into bundles to make 'texture' paint brushes. 

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

On your walks if you find any pine cones, bring some home to make a seed feeder. You will need some seeds  - bird seed is ideal of course but if you have any old vegetable or flower seeds (sunflowers especially) then use those. You need something to stick them to the cone, smooth peanut butter is best. Coat the cone with peanut butter (that's the tricky part) and then roll the cone in the seeds. Attach a wire or string - might be easiest to do that first (sorry!) and hang up in a bush or tree where you can watch for visitors.