 Keeping your kids busy: 12 things to do in the garden |
Now that the school holidays are here, you might be wondering what you can do to entertain the children. One organisation is urging parents to encourage them to ditch the games console get out and into the garden.
Plant for Life, an organisation that aims to encourage an interest in horticulture has come up with a list of 12 fun things to do outside by the age of 12.
This morning on Breakfast:
Sarah Campbell was in New Milton in Hampshire to find out more, along with the Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins And: we want to hear which garden activities you'd add to their top twelve list: Twelve things to do before you hit your teens
Plant for Life has drawn up a list of its 12 must-have childhood memories in the garden:
1: Pick strawberries or other fruits: This encourages children to appreciate nature and what it has to offer. Even if you don't grow fruit yourself, you can still find blackberries growing wild in hedgerows
2: Pick flowers and press them: Children can use them to make little keepsakes and presents for their friends. At the same time, it can also help teach your child the anatomy of a flower
3: Build a tree house: This creates a space to which children can withdraw and where adults aren't allowed. It gives them a sense of freedom and privacy
4: Make a private den in the bushes: If your DIY isn't up to a full scale wooden construction, you can still let children make their own den, where they can play imaginative games with their friends
5: Creating a garden plot and watching it grow: Allows children to watch the progress of something they've created and gives them a sense of achievement and responsibility.
6: Look for creepy crawlies under rocks and stones: Children can be taught to see the beauty in such natural things, as well as begin to appreciate how important wildlife is to a healthy garden.
7: Hang up a bird feeder: count the number and variety of birds it attracts - and see how the species vary through the seasons
8: Plant sunflower seeds and watch them grow: These are cheap and very easy to grow in high summer. Gardening should be challenging for children but not impossible.
9: Plant spring or summer flowering bulbs: This develops patience - gardening is not always about instant results and these exquisitely beautiful flowers are a great reminder of it
10: Look out for frog spawn in the pond: It creates an understanding of the life cycle of a creature. It's inspiring to see the wonder of creation unfold in front of your eyes
11: Collect caterpillars and watch them transform into butterflies: To watch the different stages of metamorphosis is a great experience.
12: Kick or roll through fallen autumn leaves: It's fun and it is a very nice way to see and feel the change in season. But, beware: in urban parks, dog mess may make this pretty much impossible.
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