Summer may have arrived, but there’s still time to get a garden started! Gardening teaches children about responsibility while also giving them low-key lessons in science, agriculture, and nutrition. Here are four fun gardening projects to consider enjoying as a family.
#1 Planting a Seed Garden
When selecting seeds for kids, start with ones that grow quickly and are large enough for kids’ fingers to manage. Good choices, according to Almanac.com, include peas, beans, sunflowers, squash, and nasturtium. The site also includes growing guides for your use.
Lay out a child-sized plot and provide your kids with child-sized gardening tools. Form small, raised beds, labeling each seed that you plant so you know what you’re growing, where. Give your children a small watering can, rather than the hose, to keep the plants appropriately watered according to the guides provided. Harvest and enjoy as you celebrate your family’s accomplishments.
#2 Color Coded Gardening
When going beyond the basics, add vegetables in a wide spectrum of hues, ranging from red to orange to yellow, green, blue, and more, creating a truly eye-catching garden. This can include cherry tomatoes, yellow summer squash, orange bell peppers, green cucumbers, and purple-blue eggplant—each vibrantly delicious.
Then, when your family harvests your crop and includes the veggies in a meal, your children can be justly proud of their contributions. As you eat the rainbow—meaning to eat vegetables of numerous colors, your family will benefit from the diverse vitamins and minerals provided.
Consider also reading I Can Eat a Rainbow by Olena Rose to your young children.
#3 Pressed Flowers
You can choose to grow beautiful flowers as a family and read age-appropriate flower-related books, including Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert that shares how to include stunning colors in your garden. Depending on your child’s age, you may need to tell them not to eat flowers.
Once your flowers are fully grown, you can press some of them to make attractive pieces of art. Materials needed include the flowers along with a plant press. You can buy one in a store or make your own with corrugated cardboard and newspaper sheets. You’ll also need two plywood boards of the same size and a heavy rubber band or other material to bind a stack of materials together. Also make sure you have white glue on hand and books you can use as weights.
Find more detailed instructions at KidsGardening.org, including how to make your own flower press.
#4 Make a Fairy Garden
Fill a pot with quality drainage with gardening soil, planting miniature houseplants and succulents. Then, get creative! Add stones, pine cones, little teacups, LEGO, marbles, and more. You can also use items you’ve found or shop at a nursery.
Gardening and Other Family Activities at Horizon Education Centers
All Horizon centers provide fun gardening projects during Summer Camp in partnership with The Ohio State University’s Gardening Through the Seasons program. The food grown in these gardens is enjoyed by our students, as well! Find more information about our locations and our commitment to growing healthy kids.
