Activities plus
Outdoor Activities
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Art projects: draw pictures of plants, produce, flowers; decorate fencing, wooden beds, and containers around plants; create stepping-stone paths, painting.
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Bird habitats activity: birds, nests, etc.
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Build bug houses
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Charm snails & slugs
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Cook
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Dig
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Eat, smell
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Environmental education activities.
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Examine things up close
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Feel things, including emotions
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Find a magic spot
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Good bugs/bad bugs identification activity.
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Harvest
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Help with anything you’re doing
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Hunt for bugs
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Grow herbs & bulbs to give as gifts year round.
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Listen to the wind, frogs, crickets, bees, chimes, cicada
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Make bouquets
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Make garden shrines
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Make plant collages
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Plant seeds & starts
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Predators (praying mantis, ladybugs) and plowers (earthworms/red worms) activity.
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Press flowers
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Pull weeds (kids love to do this for some reason)
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Rake leaves (and jumping in them)
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Read about bugs and plants
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Read about gardens and/or read in the garden.
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Save seeds
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Sift compost
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Sing songs
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Take field trips to local farms, farmer’s markets, community gardens, flower beds in local parks.
Indoor activities
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Bulbs planted in off-season
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Carpentry projects such as birdhouses, feeders, and window boxes
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Container gardening
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Dry and arrange flowers
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Garden-related games, songs, and virtual field trips
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Garden under artificial light
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Identify fruits and vegetables
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Make salads or creating recipes and cookbooks
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Miniature and terrarium gardens
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Nature crafts using pods, seeds, conifer cones, dried herbs ad flowers, etc.
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Propagate plants
Indoor growing
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Lights: hang lights 2-3” above potting soil or plant starts
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set lights on a 12-hour timer
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Use fresh potting soil or sterile seed starting mix
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If seedlings become leggy, lights are not sufficient- start again
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Keep seeds moist until they sprout, then water daily; a tray under them keeps water constant and peat pots moist.
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Projects: teacup succulent gardens
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Plant cuttings from aloe vera, christmas cactus or jade plant in tea or coffee cups purchased from consignment stores
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Sprouts— grow and eat sprouts like alfalfa, clover, radish, broccoli, or ming beans. Sprout lemon or orange seeds, sunflower seeds, wheat or oats.
Container Garden
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Site location: sunny, out of wind, easy to access, water source nearby
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Soil: potting soils specially formulated to promote drainage while holding water, organic if you can find it. Fill container with soil (do not add rocks). Fill to 2-4 inches from top rim.
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Container: 12-24” tall and 12-24” diameter
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plastic: inexpensive, lightweight, will fade and crack in sun
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black plastic nursery pots: inexpensive/free, long lasting, warm up quickly
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terra cotta: expensive, heavy, crack and crumble if left outside in winter
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glazed-clay pots: expensive, heavy, long lasting
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half-whiskey barrels: recycled product, lasts for several seasons, large planting area
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your creative choice: large bright colored plastic tubs, wheelbarrows, 5 gallon buckets, kid wading pools, etc.
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Plants/seeds: look for plants and seeds that say they are for containers or are smaller or can be trellised. Just about any plant can be grown in a container, but some do better based on size.
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Feed: Liquid fish fertilizer per their instructions, worm tea, organic fertilizer mix. Look for 3-4-2 generally, and 5-1-1 for lettuce, onions, and other leafy greens. The # corresponds with Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium content.
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Nitrogen promotes green leafy growth
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phosphorous promotes roots, buds and flowers
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potassium promotes absorption of nutrients and trace minerals
Extend into the community
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4-H Youth programs
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Community-wide projects
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Extension programs
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Farm to School Programs Volunteer, join others
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Local garden clubs
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Master gardeners
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Parents/grandparents/extended family members
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Schools
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Youth organizations
