5 Fun Garden Projects to Entertain Kids During Lockdown
5 Fun Garden Projects to Entertain Kids During Lockdown
As a parent, I’ve often found myself saying, “If you touch my precious garden decor with that toy, there will be consequences!” This is a clear sign that my kids need some outdoor time, and I need a moment of peace. We all need time outside for our physical and mental well-being. Experts recommend around 60 minutes a day, often referred to as the “green hour,” for children. Here are some fun and engaging garden projects to help your kids get their daily dose of nature.
Cardboard Vases
Create a unique, flat vase using cardboard. Find a piece of cardboard (an old box works great) and have your kids draw a vase on it. Use a pointy object like a kebab stick to make holes above the vase. Then, let your kids explore the garden to pick flowers and fill their vase. Flowers with flat undersides, like daisies and pansies, work best. Encourage them to experiment and learn which flowers they can and cannot pick.
Bug Hotel
Invite some tiny guests into your garden by building a bug hotel. This structure provides a habitat for insects and is an excellent way to teach children about ecosystems. Use materials you have on hand, such as bricks, logs, twigs, leaves, bamboo, pine cones, and bark. Choose a suitable building site, like under a tree, and have fun stacking the materials together. Wait a few weeks for the insects to check in and make themselves at home.
Nature Cuffs
Inspired by Wonder Woman’s gold cuffs, these nature cuffs will give your kids “flower power.” To make the cuff, wrap a piece of tape around your child’s wrist with the sticky side facing outwards. For a more durable cuff, use a cardboard tube, make a slit down the middle, and cover it with double-sided tape. Then, go for a walk around your garden or neighborhood and collect small flowers, stones, sticks, or shells to stick onto the cuff.
Ready, Set, Sow!
Spring is the perfect time to start growing crops. Radishes are a great choice because they’re ready to harvest in just five to eight weeks. The ‘Easter Egg Mix’ variety is especially fun because you never know what color you’ll get—red, orange, yellow, or purple. Other edibles you can sow outside include lettuces, peas, and carrots. For a fun challenge, have your kids grow a flower taller than themselves. Sunflowers like ‘Ginormous FlowerZilla’ and ‘Skyscraper’ can reach up to 5 meters high. Sow seeds directly into the garden or start them in a yogurt pot on a windowsill if it’s still frosty.
Egg Heads
If you have seeds lying around, try sowing an egg head on a sunny windowsill. Carefully remove the top third of an egg, use the insides for baking, and wash out the shell. Once dry, decorate the egg shells—pirates with eye patches are always a hit. Fill the shells with seed-raising mix or wet cotton wool, and sprinkle your seeds on top. Mustard seeds germinate quickly, or you could grow microgreens. Stabilize the eggs in an egg carton or cup, place them on a sunny windowsill, and wait for the green leafy “hair” to sprout. If eggshells are too fragile, use an egg carton instead.
For more gardening inspiration, check out this authoritative gardening resource.
