Garden Projects For Kids
Getting the kids involved in the garden is easier said than done, especially if gardening seems like a chore to them. The key is to make time spent in the garden fun and interesting, and to create a garden that is inviting and whimsical to them. Garden projects are a great way for kids to create an appreciation for nature and instill a desire to spend time outdoors exploring, observing and playing.
Try any of these garden projects for kids to help them celebrate, adorn and share the flowers and vegetables growing.
Build a Scarecrow
A fun scarecrow is a great way to add character to a garden, but also serves the purpose of keeping critters away. Children of any age can help design and build a scarecrow, contributing clothing, stuffing the body with straw and choosing the perfect spot to set up the scarecrow.
Plant Braiding
There are so many plants in the garden that can be braided for fun and practical purposes. Vegetables like garlic and onions have been braided and stored for centuries, so if you have any in your garden, get children involved in braiding. Seeing their braided columns of vegetables hanging in the pantry for cooking instills a sense of pride in both the growing and the cooking of food. Flowers like thyme, rosemary and daisies are all great for braiding. Braid the stems into crowns, bracelets or just weave them into hair.
Flower Pressing
Not only is flower pressing fun and a great way to create gifts and trinkets, there is also the ability to learn and teach basic botany. Allow kids to gather one of several different types of flowers or green plants. Find a heavy book and assist children in placing each flower between a pair of white pieces of paper. Place flowers and paper in between pages of your heavy book and wait a week for the flowers to be completely pressed and dried. Help children identify and name different features of each flower, noting the difference between the basic shapes of leaves and petals– rounded vs pointy petals and jagged vs smooth leaves. Use glue to mount dry flowers to cardstock to create notecards or frame.
Upcycled Critters
Once your children have spent some time in the garden they will have noticed that it is teeming with insects and birds. Help children identify the different types of insects they are seeing and whether they are beneficial to the garden or not– most insects are. To add whimsy to the garden, let children use their creativity and imagination to come up with model insects using only items from the recycling or the trash. Soda bottles make great ant, bee or spider bodies. If the critters are weatherproof, add them to the garden!
Garden Property
Most children have to wait for Halloween to come around before being able to personalize a pumpkin. Children can get a head start when they grow their own pumpkin, squash or other gourds by using tack pins to create designs or their initials into the hard skins of each vegetable. When the vegetable is pulled from the garden, it’s ready for fall and can go straight onto the doorstep for display.
How do you involve your little ones (or big ones) in your garden? What do you grow in your garden? Do you have a big garden space or a container garden?
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Bring The Indoors Out
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22 COMMENTS
ellen beck
10 years agoI am an avid gardener and what I have learned over the years is kids will eat what they plant! If they get to plan and help and harvest even trying new things is a breeze.
Maryann D.
10 years agoGardening projects are always fun for kids. These are great ideas and I have always wanted to grow pumpkins myself!
Nancy @ Whispered Inspirations
10 years agoWe are planning to start an herb garden. They can get out there and get dirty!
valmg @ Mom Knows It All
10 years agoI’d never heard of braiding either. I like the scarecrow idea!
Jennifer Soltys
10 years agoOooh plant braiding. I love that idea. You have some great tips on how to make gardening fun for kids!
Toni
10 years agoWhat fun ideas for fall. My daughter would love these so we may have to try our hand at them.
Tess
10 years agoIts that time of the year for outdoor activities. Lots of great activities for kids.
Tara
10 years agoWe love to have our little garden projects. Planting veggies and herbs and using them in recipes is such a great feeling.
Liz Mays
10 years agoWe’ve pressed flowers many times, but I didn’t know about braiding. That’s a neat idea!
Brett
10 years agoI need to find out more about braiding. We have garlic 🙂
The kids each have a little raised bed. They are a huge part if our garden
Sarah @ Must Have Mom
10 years agoWe plant a big veggie garden every summer and the kids love helping with planting, pulling weeds and picking and eating!
Pam
10 years agoMy kids have always enjoyed making scarecrows for the garden and planting herbs! Great ideas.
Ellen Christian
10 years agoI love flower pressing. I am going to do that this year.
Keikilani
10 years agoWe are going to be working in the yard a lot this year. I know the kids are gonna get a lot of time in the backyard and dirt. This looks like a great activity for the fall.
Shauna
10 years agoWhat great ideas. MY little ones used to garden with their grand-dad all the time, but his health turned and they haven’t done it in some time. They hope to get back to it soon
Amber Edwards
10 years agoWe grow a garden, but I have the kids help by planting plants that they want to enjoy; picking out the flowers and then also helping to weed. I never thought of these more “FUN” activities. Great ideas.
LauraOinAK
10 years agoLove all these ideas with the kids. My boys have always enjoyed helping pull weeds or plant seeds as it involves getting dirty.
Stacey @ Cheap is the New Classy
10 years agoWe have a small garden. I just started it a couple of years ago. My niece loves it!
Michele Brosius
10 years agoWe grow lots of vegetables and herbs in our garden. Our kiddos always help with the maintenance and harvest of our garden. Hopefully, that will get them hooked on gardening their own food when they move out on their own.
Keely Hostetter
10 years agoWe have a fairly big area for garden. My kids love helping plant and getting their hands dirty so it doesn’t take much to get them involved.
shelly peterson
10 years agoThese scarecrow sounds like a cute idea. I don’t have my own yard to have a garden but my friend does. Sometimes the kids help out with it.
Christina Easter
10 years agoI will definitely have to keep this in mind for end of Summer Crafts!! This will be great for the Fall!