It’s half term! And while the weather isn’t the best, it’s the perfect time to get the kids involved with some garden projects. Here are a few of my favourite activities.
Build an insect hotel
I’m a big fan of helping out our garden critters and building an insect hotel or habitat with the kids is a great way to occupy them through half term. Collect up wood, sticks, dried leaves and bamboo and build an insect hotel.
Pallets are the best things to use but they can be hard to come by, so you can use old bits of wood, drawers or even just create a habitat around logs.
Plant seeds
When I was younger, I found it fascinating watching seeds grow into trees and plants. Why not get the kids to plant some seeds of their own choosing – you could even get them to pick some from fruits or vegetables they like to eat.
Avocado stones are quite fun to grow too – you can balance them with toothpicks over a cup of plastic water (the rounded base of the stone needs to be slightly dipping in the water) and you can see the roots come down very clearly. Make sure you change the water every day, and don’t place the stone in direct sunlight. When it looks like the picture on the left, you can plant it in a pot with some compost.
Grow some egg cress heads
This is a fun activity and lets kids see something grow quite quickly.
- Get some eggs, carefully knock off the tops and empty them.
- Let the kids draw or paint faces on them. You can then put the painted shells in an empty egg carton (paint this too if you want!) once dried.
- Place a piece of wet kitchen towel or cotton ball in the bottom and sprinkle with cress seeds
- Leave on a bright windowsill. In just a few days the cress should start to grow and look like the egg’s hair!
Build a fairy garden
It’s easy to make the garden an enchanting place for kids. Have a hunt around the house for bits and bobs that can be turned into items in a fairy garden. Take a small piece of wood for example and paint a little door onto it. This could then be placed at the bottom of a tree trunk for the fairies!
You could also use upside down old plant pots or yoghurt pots to make a little fairy house. Check out my Pinterest board for more ideas.
Make plant labels
If the weather isn’t on your side, you could make up some colourful plant markers. Get some old lolly pop sticks, or coffee stirrers and paint, the kids can paint the sticks all sorts of different colours, and once dry you can write the name of the plants and then the kids and pop their masterpiece next to it.
Paint pebbles and stones
If your kids love some arts and crafts, why not paint some pebbles and stones? They look great in borders and containers and can really brighten up the garden over the winter months. The kids could paint them any colour they want, or design them as ladybirds, beetles or butterflies.
Worm hunt
If your kids are fans of getting mucky, then this is the perfect time to give them a trowel or small spade and let them dig in the dirt! This will help aerate your garden and let water trickle through more easily, but your little one can search for worms while doing it.
There is so much you can do in the garden, check out my article on summer holiday activities that are great for when the weather is warmer too! What will you be getting up to this half term? Leave a comment to let me know what activities you love to get the kids involved with in the garden.
David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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