Growing Gardens

Today I am sharing with you the activities for the next week and I warn you in advance that they are messy, require sunscreen and a good sense of humour. :-)

Growing a Herb Garden

I'm not sure about you all but I find that the smell of fresh herbs in my meals is divine. I am a bit of a plant killer (I'll admit that) but really wanted to grow my own garden so I had to find a happy medium. A way I could grow them without killing them. I found the way. It is with a product called Greensmart Pots. They are fabulous, especially for people like me who want that veggie garden but cannot necessarily rely on daily watering. Select a patch of yard or talk to your local nursery about pots or a pot that would suit your needs. Decide upon the herbs that you want to grow. at his activity can be as expensive or as cheap as you wish to make it. :-) Prepare your pot. I cleaned mine and selected a place for it so that I didn't have to move it regularly. Get some potting mix and any other minerals feeders that you may need. Place these in your pot (or turn it through your garden). Plant your little seeds or seedlings. Water. Voila! You have your little herb garden. You can involve your little person by getting them to help fill with the potting mix, planting the seeds or seedlings and watering. I LOVE my pots but my mum and dad had an old wheelbarrow that they used for their garden this looks fabulous (I do recommend lining this) here are some ideas for your herb garden.

PHOTO CREDITS: 1. winebarrelgardens.com.au; 2. en.wikipedia.org; 3. thecottagemarket.com; 4. thecottagemarket.com; 5. thesmallgarden.com.au; 6. spicerequest.com; 7. aspoonfulofthyme.blogspot.com; 8. repeatcrafterme.com

 PHOTO CREDITS: 1. thekingsgarden.com; 2. gardendoctor.wordpress.com; 3. orangepower.com.au; 4. allam.com.au; 5. stepbystep.com; 6. meltingmoments.net; 7. www.ecomarket.com; 8. www.hgtv.com

Fairy Garden

It is always fun to keep their imagination growing and feeding them a little magic. This is where the magic fairy garden is fantastic and so easy! I have to credit Kidspot for this fairy garden.

WHAT YOU NEED: Shallow box (wooden or plastic). Small potplants. 1 small dish for a pond. Shells and pebbles (beach or backyard), soil (or potting mix), decorative pebbles (Bunnings), I small terracotta pot and a small decorative frog.

WHAT TO DO:

Fill the box with soil (if you are using a plastic tub you could paint this first). Collect all the bits and pieces for your garden. Dig a shallow hole for your pond. Put in the dish that you chose and surround it with pebbles or shells. Put in your plants. Place the terracotta pot on its side to make a fairy grotto. Put some soil in to make it look authentic. Cover the soil with the pebbles. Use large pebbles from the beach or otherwise to make a stepping stone path. Fill your fairy pond with water.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kidspot

Herb Markers

I love all the different herb markers out there and I think that if I was clever enough with ceramics I would attempt some of them BUT I have decided on a far more Lauren friendly and kidlet involvement way of marking our little herb garden. Pebble markers!

WHAT YOU NEED:

Pebbles (may be left over from your fairy garden), acrylic paints, spray primer, paint brush, permanent marker, clear spray, newspaper/paper

WHAT TO DO:

Put down your paper and add the primer to your pebbles. When dry paint the stones with the acrylic paint (Chickettes only painted one side, but being the obsessive I am I did both). Use the permanent marker to write on the stones. Then use the clear spray to protect the pebble. Allow to dry for a while. Voila! New pebble markers. This is a great activity to get the little ones involved with. They love painting right? If you have enough time and a grandma or grandpa that has a veggie garden these are a great gift from the little ones. ;-)

PHOTO CREDIT: Chickettes

Tomato Plants

This activity is the same as the herb garden activity. I have a separate pot for my tomato plant. Although I do recommend hiding this baby from your little people once you have planted it together as I know that my little people enjoyed picking off the unripened tomatoes.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Pot, cherry tomato seedling, potting mix.

WHAT TO DO:

Prepare your pot, place your potting mix into the pot. Water the potting mix and place plant into the pot. Use a stake to keep the tomato plant growing upward. Your little person can help you with all steps with this.

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikipedia 

Apple Stamping

This is a fabulous activity for little ones. You can create a fabulous gift for someone or for your little ones.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Apples, paint, calico bags, newspaper, plastic plate

WHAT TO DO:

Select your calico bags and lay it on some newspaper. Put paint on plastic plate. Cut your apple in half from top to bottom and dip it in the paint. Stamp onto the calico bags. Allow to dry. Voila! NOTE: Unless you use a fabric paint, washing an acrylic paint is not recommended - it might not stay pretty for long.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Lynn's Sweets

OUTDOOR:

Monday: Sorting Buttons

This is a fairly simple one but so effective and great for the little ones. You need some buttons (these can be bought from Spotlight or the supermarket. Sit with the child and get them to gather the buttons into colour groups. This is a good wind down and focussing activity after all the muddy fun that your little person would have had creating the family herb garden.

Tuesday: Gardening

This is a particularly good activity considering your beautiful garden creation. It assists teaching your little person some responsibility and I am not sure about your little ones but my little ones LOVE the watering can PaPa bought them.

Wednesday: Cooking

It doesn't matter what you choose to cook for this activity. With all the outdoor activities that you will do this week, this activity is a nice break from the great outdoors. My little girls love making mini cupcakes (thank you Betty Crocker) and this activity allows them to help you in the kitchen without creating too much chaos and mess.

Thursday: Bucket Balls

This activity is reasonably simple. You need a bucket and some balls (or beanbags). Get your little one to stand at a distance from the bucket and get them to throw their balls or beanbags into the bucket. This is fabulous for their gross motor skills.r

Friday: Jumping

You can do this however you like but I like to give the girls something to jump to. Perhaps a spot on the carpet or a toy. It is actually amazing that when you make it a competition they can go for forever (even more so if you get in there and do it with them).

Have fun with your kidlets this week.

Keep smiling.

Lauren

xxx