Gardening is one of the creative ways of teaching the little one reasoning and discovery, responsibility, understanding, confidence, nutrition, love of nature and eventually the satisfaction of growing their own food.
There is no dearth of activities that you can conduct in your garden or your apartment using containers, patios, vertical gardens, bottle gardens, etc.
Below is the list of projects that will help you pull out your munchkin from the shackles of laziness and boredom this Diwali:
1.Let your kid have his own space to grow things.
2. Teach him about the set of plants that would thrive well in your garden, fascinating history, and their uses.
3. To begin with, you can have a Weed-free Garden Contest. Make sure the kids know what weeds are, and how they can hamper the beautiful green zone. Encourage them to use tools for this gardening activity.
4. Kids love birds and butterflies. Assist them in crafting bird feeders.
5. If your kid is too small, help him start the seeds indoors.
6. Go for a nature walk or wild food foraging.
7. Make creative garden stones and plant labels together. Buy pebbles online in India.
8. Teach the little one to maintain a gardening journal.
9. Make together fancy flower or leaf crowns, grass bracelets.
10. Dig and find worms.
11. Weave bunches of grass to make pots, water pans, bird feeders, etc.
12. Kids hate boring stuff. Thus decorate the garden gloves, tools, hat and tool kit.
13. Teach the children basics of harvesting and ways you can preserve it. Read about 5 tools used for harvesting.
14. Allow them to taste freshly grown fruits and veggies. This will help in developing their taste buds.
15. Help them plant their favorite food.
16. Teach them organic ways of maintaining the garden plants.
17. Make use of colorful pebbles in containers or around flower borders.
18. Play in water and run through the sprinklers.
19. Make flower garlands with fallen leaves.
20. Identify and draw garden friendly insects.
21. Relive your childhood - make mud pies and spider web prints.
22. Go for a picnic in your garden.
23. Make french fries, potato heads, vegetable art.
24. Educate your child about the information on seed packets, catalogs, garden accessories.
25. Let the kid own a few containers in the garden, plant and tend it all by himself (do not encourage over watering).
26. Teach him about watering time, quantity and tools to be used.
27. Speak to the plant in front of the child, and let him understand the power of positivity.
28. Allow your child to click pictures of plants at different stages.
29. Help him craft a fairy garden or a bottle garden.
30. Use eggshells to make a mini garden.
31. Turn your kid's old shoes into small garden planters.
32. Teach him how to make a mini greenhouse.
33. Also, talk to him about soilless gardening and let them wonder about the concept.
34. Introduce flower bulbs.
35. Educate him about types of butterflies and the plants they love. Read about how to create a butterfly garden.
36. For toddlers use gardening for hand/eye coordination, motor skills, and add a splash of water.
37. Answer their questions with total enthusiasm and consult them - Where should I grow this plant? Does it love sunlight? Or What do the directions on the packaging say next?
38. Play ‘I Spy’ or organize garden races.
39. Support the child to choose a theme and make an entire garden around it. Read about how gardening acts as therapeutic & healing activity.
40. Let him make simple pickles or salads from home picked garden vegetables.
41. Opt for alphabet gardening and also indulge in activities like making a scarecrow, writing poetry, dissecting a plant.
The list is neverending. But, stay cautious when your kid is conducting any of the gardening activities. Make sure they are safe and do not gulp in anything without notice.
Post the pictures of your kiddo gardening in the comments section below. We would love to see the magic of little green fingers.
Happy gardening to you!
