Children love to be kept busy and if we can get them outdoors in the fresh air learning as they go then thats a plus. To encorage your child to get involved in the garden, set aside a small area which is solely for their use. Help them prepare the soil and then work with them to try and establish what it is they would like to grow. There are many flowers and vegetables which grow well and which children will enjoy seeing develop. For example sunflowera are a great favourite with kids. Those huge heads and tall stems are striking. And when they realise that the seeds can be eaten by birds (and humans) we have an added benefit. Ansturtiums are easy to grow from seed and can add a riot of colour to the garden as well as having edible flowers which can be used in salads

Similarly all children are enthralled by the idea that they could grow their own pumpkin for Halloween. Admittedly, you need a little bit of room but if the seeds are planted at the right time and watered during dry times then you have a good chance of having a decent sized pumpkin come the autumn.

A couple of strawberry plants are a good addtion. Easy to grow and require little attention to develop their gorgeous fruits.

Project : Wildlife Border

One of the joys of encouraging your children to garden is not only do they learn about how things grow and how they need to be cared for and nourished, you can also teach them that gardening can encourage wildlife. A double benefit, not only do we have the joy of the flowers, but we can also encourage wildlife visitors into the garden and again the children can learn from this too.

Creating a Wildlife border

The type of wildlife you wish to encourage will help you determine the type of planting you want to have.

The first step is to design the border, which needs to be in a sunny position, but can be any size and shape you like. Draw an accurate scale plan of the border and copy it so everyone can try being a garden designer. Butterflies and moths feed on the nectar of many flowers but will lay their eggs only on leaves of specific plants which are their caterpillars’ food. Bees collect nectar and pollen; beetles and other insects eat pollen. Enjoy the flowers as they grow and bloom, and give your child a notebook and keep a record of the visiting insects.

Top butterfly plants

Project : Name in Seeds

Kids love to see their name and by using seeds tapes you can plant seeds which will then grow to spell out yuor childs name. Seed tapes are also much easier for small children to handle. If the seeds you want are not available on tapes or you want to keep costs down then you can always make your own tapes.

Try to avoid tall plants for this project. Ideally use smaller plants like marigolds or californian bluebells

Useful Resources:
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden/fundamentals/index.html