NATIONAL CHILDREN'S GARDENING WEEK

NATIONAL CHILDREN'S GARDENING WEEK

It’s National Children’s Gardening Week from 23rd-31st May 2020 and it celebrates the fun that gardens can hold for children. This event is dedicated to providing magical gardens for children in hospices suffering from life limiting illnesses. It’s a great time to get children outdoors and connected with nature especially in this beautiful weather we are having.

Some of the things you and your little ones can get involved in and some of our favourite ideas include:

Hedgehog Feeding Stations

What you need;

  • plastic storage box
  • a newspaper
  • tape
  • hedgehog food

Instructions; 

  1. Turn the box upside down on the ground outside
  2. Cut a hole in the short end of the box about 10cm x 10cm
  3. Put some tape around the cut hole
  4. Put some newspaper on the floor under the box as hedgehogs can be messy eaters
  5. Put the hedgehog food at the opposite end of the hole you’ve cut so other animals can’t get at it
  6. Put a brick on top of the box to stop it moving in the wind
  7. Wait for the hedgehogs to arrive!

Cress Heads

What you need;

  • empty eggshells
  • cress seeds
  • cotton wool
  • colouring pens
  • googly eyes

Intructions;

  1. Draw some silly faces on the eggshells and add some googly eyes if you have them
  2. Fill eggshells with cotton wool
  3. Spray the cotton wool with water so that it is slightly damp
  4. Sprinkle lots of cress seeds on top of the damp cotton wool
  5. Spray some more water on the sees and watch them grow!
  6. Check back every day making sure to water them slightly too

 Rock Painting Bugs

What you need;

  • rocks
  • acrylic paint
  • paint brushes
  • googly eyes

Instructions;

  1. Find some rocks in your garden if you can and give them a good wash with water and let them dry.
  2. Think about what bugs/insects you would like to paint. Could be a ladybird, a bee, a snail, whatever you would like!
  3. When the rocks are dry, start painting your colourful bugs
  4. Let the paint dry and place your bugs in the garden or on a windowsill!

 Grass Caterpillars

What you need;

  • grass seed
  • compost
  • plant trays
  • old tights (not opaque as grass needs to grow through them)
  • craft pipe cleaners
  • rubber bands or strings
  • googly eyes stuck onto cocktail sticks

Instructions;

  1. Cut off each leg and toe end of the tights
  2. Tie a tight knot in one end of the tight tube
  3. Fill the tights with the compost to create the body for your caterpillar. Make sure the tights are filled
  4. On the inside of the tights, sprinkle grass seed along one side of the caterpillar, then tie a knot in the end
  5. Now that you have made the main body for your caterpillar, wrap rubber bands or string around the body to create sections
  6. Add your googly eyes, legs and antennae to the caterpillar using the pipe cleaners
  7. Lay the caterpillar in a tray with shallow water in so that the compost soaks it up. When the caterpillar is watered, remove from water and place in a dry plant tray.
  8. Place your caterpillar on the windowsill and remember to water your caterpillar once or twice a week.
  9. As the grass seed grows it will poke through the tights, making a hairy caterpillar. Feel free to give them a haircut!

 

 

 

Back to Blog