Summer Gardening Activities For Kids
Make the most out of summer while having a blast with these gardening activities for kids!
Summer is a beautiful time for everyone to go outside and enjoy nature! What better way to take a break from watching movies and kids’ videos than to bust out those gardening tools and start a-digging! There’s no denying that kids love to play around in the dirt (me too!), so these activities will give kids the chance to learn and have a lot of fun while at it – kind of like Tiger and Tim learning videos for kids!
Gardening is an excellent way for kids to learn about nature and could even lead to them developing their green thumb (or, in my case, my green paw!). Gardening also shows kids how hard work and patience can lead to something beautiful and fruitful (delicious!!).
So here are ten fun and kid-friendly gardening activities to try with your Tiger Cubs this summer!
- Water plants
One way to introduce gardening to children is by allowing them to water the plants. We all looooove to play and splash around with water, and watering the plants every day is a fun little excuse to get our feet wet.
- Make seed bombs
Born out of the desire to make more green spaces in highly urbanised neighbourhoods, people started making seed bombs that are fun while serving a great purpose. Let your kids make seed bombs from flower seeds, compost, powdered clay, and some water. Then, go through nearby places that can use a little greenery in them and throw them away! Take videos so kids can go back to these spots throughout the year and watch as their little seed bombs grow.
Check out this article for a more detailed tutorial on how to make seed bombs.
- Make a herb garden
If you live in a flat and have no access to your backyard, then creating a herb garden indoors is the way to go!
Using recycled cans, yoghurt cups, and even egg trays, kids can make their herb garden even inside the house. Through planting herbs, kids can learn many things in real life, not just through watching videos. They get to be more involved and develop a sense of responsibility as they take care of their herb gardens.
- Create upcycled pots and planters
Make planting more interesting for your kids by having them upcycle pots and planters from different materials. Whether from used plastic jars to an old pair of boots, kids can unleash their creativity while decorating these upcycled planters to make them their own. Upcycling also helps kids learn about taking care of the environment and shows them that even kids can help save the planet.
- Grow a magic beanstalk
Okay, so Tim told me that my beans are not really magical – but this activity still works wonders on kids!
Get some beans, a clear jar, and some wet (but not soaked!) cotton balls. Now put the wet cotton balls at the bottom of the jar and wedge a bean between them. Put your bean jar by a sunny window and let your kids observe their growing beanstalk every day. In this fun little science experiment, kids learn about what plants need to thrive. Let them watch videos about the life cycle of a plant for them to better appreciate their bean jar experiment.
- Garden clean-up
Your backyard may not be precisely summer-ready right now, but that’s okay! Get your kids involved in sprucing up your garden before planting and growing new greenery. Younger Tiger Cubs can help pick up fallen sticks and twigs while older kids can help rake the dry leaves and prune old plants and shrubs.
- Have their own space in the garden
Let the children cultivate their own little space in the garden! You can have them choose to either plant greens and flowers or fruits and vegetables (or both!). Give them the task of watering their plants every day and let them observe the growth of their little garden. If they can, kids can take videos and photos to document their precious greenery.
- Make their watering can
Make watering plants even more fun by letting kids make their own watering cans. There is no need to buy new ones as you can always upcycle cans, jars, or bottles and use them as watering cans. Let kids show their creative side by decorating their watering cans, too!
- Build a bean teepee
Make your garden look more magical and fun with a bean teepee! Children can also help build this fantastic plant structure before they begin their adventures. Kids will be learning many things and will definitely have a good time as they help make the teepee. Here’s a video showing how to build your very own bean teepee.
- Create butterfly puddles
Butterflies make any garden look and feel more colourful! One way to attract more butterflies to your greenery is by making butterfly puddles. The best part about butterfly puddles? They are easy to make! All you need is a shallow container, sand, and some soil (you can also use compost or salt). Leave the puddle in your garden and wait – before look you’ll enjoy watching different butterflies drink from the puddle. Kids can also take videos and photos of their butterfly puddles to make this summer even more memorable!
There are several lessons kids can learn from gardening. Videos and books can also help but will only do so much. Getting their hands (or paws!) dirty will help children develop life skills such as patience, perseverance, and responsibility, while also learning the importance of nature.
That’s it, cool cats! Enjoy building your garden, whether big or small! Talk to you soon!
Tiger xoxoxo