Kids Gardening Ideas – 70 Tips for Quick Planting & Children’s Gardening Home School Toys & Tools

Kids’ gardening homeschool with The Chilliman kids’ gardening author is fun! Find information, ideas, learning and education on gardening, growing, harvesting and recycling household items to build fun home-school growing environments for kids.

There are kids gardening educational resources and ideas here, to try and help with school, home school and children’s gardening teaching.

Subjects from mathematics to English, through design and technology to business and finance and much more are covered below.

These are finished off with some comprehensive kids’ gardening frequently asked questions.

Kids gardening helps children develop muscle and motor skills, senses, reasoning, self-achievement and self-confidence whilst helping children begin to understand and appreciate nature and science culminating in harvesting and cooking the fruits of their labour and learning about healthy choices and a balanced diet.

WARNING: Allergies apply to plants too. Check allergies to any of these plants or seeds before making contact with them.

In this article topics include:

• FREE Kids Gardening Toy Ideas by Recycling Household Items
• Grow Plants from Food Leftovers or Scraps
• Plants for Kids’ Gardening That Are Easy to Grow
• Kids Gardening Edible Flowers & Herbs
• DIY Harvesting Seeds + VIDEO
• Kids Gardening Propagation + VIDEO
• Repelling Unwanted Pests

Kids’ Gardening Learning Expanded into Homeschooling, Educational and Scientific Teaching Ideas

• Weights and Measures
• Kids Gardening Materials, Growing Mediums
• Kids Food Ingredients and Recipes
• History and Traditions of the Gardening and Growing Industry
• Children’s Gardening Survey Research and Data Presentation
• Develop a Kids Gardening Recipe, Cook, Film and Produce the Video
• Get Creative in Kids Gardening Design and Decoration

Kids Gardening by Subject:

• Maths, Mathematics or Math
• English
• Design and Technology
• Science
• Geography
• Digital Technology
• History
• Languages

FREE Kids Gardening Toy Ideas

Here are some free kids’ gardening toy ideas.

Kids Gardening Toys

Why not turn old toys into mini gardens and kids gardening toys by recycling kids toys and food waste.

Mobile Kids Gardening Pull-Along Carts

Take an old card and give it a new lease of life by filling it with compost and planting flowers or vegetables in the back. It then becomes a mobile garden!

Welly Fun Kids Gardening

Recycle some old children’s wellies by filling them with compost and growing flowers or herbs with the kids. You could hang the kids’ planter wellies on a fence or railing.

There’s a Hole in My Bucket Dear Liza!

No problem! Broken, holey buckets are a treat for all manner of garden plants.

If it’s a big bucket – brilliant!

What could I grow in a big bucket – potatoes!

1. Just drop a couple of potatoes in the bottom of the bucket and watch them rocket away.
2. Only half fill the bucket to start and as the green shoots come up, begin to layer up the compost to cover the leaves until you reach the top of the bucket.
3. This layering helps produce more tubers or potatoes.

Old Plastic Bottles and Containers

• Reuse anything plastic that will hold water.
• Make sure they can stand up, cut off the top and fill them with compost.
• They can stand on the windowsill or outside.
• Even tiny yoghurt pots can be planted with cress by the kids.

Grow Plants from Food Leftovers or Scraps

Help the kids plant the top of a carrot in a dish on the windowsill and with a little water and patience new shoots will spring from the top of the carrot.

Help the Kids Grow A Crazy Spikey Pineapple Plant!

The top of a pineapple will produce a crazy spikey plant indoors.

1. Either cut the top off the pineapple and place it on a plate with water, or
2. Pull off the pineapple leaf root from the top and jam the root in a jar or glass with water.
3. Stand back and wait for the crazy spikey plant to shoot up on your windowsill.

What containers can we grow plants in for kids gardening activities?

Recycle Cardboard Toilet Rolls as Plant Pots for Kids’ Gardening

Even old toilet rolls have a use.

1. Cut them into half or thirds.
2. Place them on a plate or flat surface that will hold water.
3. Fill them with compost.
4. Plant them with seeds or beans.
5. And wait for the shoots to grow on your windowsill.

Make a Kids’ Gardening Mini Greenhouse

A clear plastic egg carton can make a mini greenhouse using the eggcups as plant pots for compost and seeds or flowers.

A cardboard egg carton can be used just the same. Just cover it with a clear plastic bag and sit it on the windowsill.

Creative Drawing Fun for Kids in the Garden

The children could draw or paint insects and bugs on smooth stones and place them amongst your flowers.

Plants for Kids’ Gardening That Are Easy to Grow

Gardening is joy and life-long activity and hobby that encourages kids’ and big kids’ out into the garden and the great outdoors. The added benefit for child gardeners is that growing fruit and vegetables encourages kids to eat healthy food that they might otherwise not even try. I always find that my kids are inclined to eat food more if they are involved in cooking and baking it. The same goes for garden fruit and vegetables.

A Kids Gardening Tip to Get New Vegetables on The Menu

Choose kids plants that are easy to grow and you stand a good chance of them eating their own produce as they engage with the mucky side of gardening which results in the joy and excitement of kids’ gardening.

Kids Gardening Boosts Exercise, Fitness and Good Mental Health

Gardening is also a great source of exercise and has a happy and calming effect on willing participants!

Kids Gardening Fun Vegetables to Grow

Borage

• Borage is fun to watch and easy and quick to grow from hairy buds to droopy, star-shaped pale blue flowers that attract bees into your garden.
• Borage’s leaves are cucumber flavour and produces seeds which ensure it will come again next year.
• Borage likes any type of soil, but well-drained soil with full or partial sun is best.
• Water until established, then water it along with the other garden plants
• Borage is a good companion plant, which means it grows well with strawberries and tomatoes.

Calendula

The seeds look like something from the age of dinosaurs – which is great for kids. The petals of calendula are colourful and add a special flavour to salads. They also repel aphids, greenfly and blackfly.

Carrots

Kids can then pull them right out of the ground and crunch on the sweet orange beauties, once washed! Carrots are great in deep, loose soil with sand sometimes and sun, but they will grow in part shaded areas with regular watering.

Chillies

Chillies are my pet subject. I was a fun, chart-topping chilli grower with hundreds of colourful varieties from mild to ultra-HOT!

• Chillies like well-drained soil or compost, they will grow hydroponically – very well!
• They like it warm and sunny. Water them regularly and feed them once or twice a week.
• Check the best conditions for your particular chosen variety.
• The earlier you can propagate them after Christmas the better.
• Keep them warm until the frosts have gone. Some will grow happily outdoors.
• I have kept chilli plants going indoors on a warm windowsill for years all year round!

Cucumbers

Cucumbers just keep coming and coming. They like compost and well-drained soil. Grow bags and big buckets are good for kids’ cucumbers. Feed them with an off-the-shelf feed and water them every day.

Kale

• Kale is a tough sell – even to adults! You might stand a chance if the kids grow it themselves.
• Kale can be grown in front of the sunflowers in the north end of the bed, this will also provide shade during the hot summer days.
• Kale can also be grown when it gets cooler and can be planted as late as August.
• Kale likes good well-drained soil and plenty of water.

Lettuces

Kids love lettuce. Lettuce is quick to grow anytime other than winter and will grow in shallow, loose soil anywhere. Lettuce hates the heat and likes regular light watering – don’t over-water them.

Mint

The smell of mint is distinct and great with lamb! Be careful to plant it in pots, unless you want it to run rampant throughout your borders. Once established in the ground mint is difficult to completely remove. Mint likes well-drained soil and regular watering.

Physalis

A beautiful Chinese lantern plant with sticky fruit inside the lanterns.

Grow in well-drained soil in full or partial sun, water and feed regularly.

They may be best in a pot and are tricky to manage in a border and can be invasive.

Pineapple Sage

The big red flowers on pineapple sage captivates kid and butterflies alike with a beautiful pineapple aroma. The leaves are great for salads and can be used to make tea-like drinks.

Pineapple sage likes well-drained soil and feed requiring early watering and then general watering alongside the rest of your garden plants.

Pumpkins & Squash

• Kids love growing squash and pumpkins and carving into lanterns.
• They rocket away and need a bit of room for the sprawling vines and huge leaves.
• They like rich soil, full sun or partial shade. Water a lot, they are big!
• Pumpkins are ready to harvest between 90 and 120 days after planting.
• Watch the leaves for mildew and avoid them rotting off from the base in damp conditions by insulating them from the ground.

Radishes

Kids love growing radishes, sometimes less so when it comes to eating them! They take less than a month to grow and like well fertilised ground, sun and regular watering.

Sorrel

This green shrub has an unusual tangy and sharp taste – something different for the kids to try in the garden.

Strawberries

You have to be careful with kids and berries. So, what better way to teach children which berries they can eat than by telling them they ONLY eat the berries that you or they specifically grow in the garden.

Kids strawberry picking is fun fun fun! Looking for bursting red ripe strawberries under the green leaves or dangling over containers or in hanging baskets.

Alpine Strawberries

These are a hardier smaller version of the strawberry with a very perfumed flavour.

Strawberries like most soils – they will grow anywhere, but in the sun is best with regular watering.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers provide kids with a GIANT plant to grow like a rocket! They add a great splash of colour and contain lots of seeds that can be dried. Some can be eaten, others used for next year and shared with their friends. Kids’ sunflower seeds can have stripes, or be black or white.

Children’s sunflowers will grow best in the north end of flower beds. Sunflowers like well-drained soil and lots of water.

ALWAYS CHECK – some sunflower seeds are edible, some require shelling.

Sweetcorn

• Sweetcorn grows fairly high and thick and can make a nice natural fence.
• Sow the seeds indoor early or outdoor in late spring.
• Plant around 45cm or 18 inches apart.
• Sweetcorn prefers sunny, fertile soil, out of the wind, with fertiliser or feed.
• Birds, mice, slugs and snails are the enemy.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes and chillies are from the same family: Solanaceae.

• There are many colourful varieties.
• They grow the same in well-drained soil, well fed and watered in the sun.
• Start them early indoors.
• Plant them all over the place: pots, borders, growbags and hanging baskets.
• If they are not cascading out of pots then you will need to support them with string or canes.

Kids Gardening Edible Flowers

Edible flowers are great fun and a real novelty when added to salads, topping sandwiches, they also look really cool for kids inside ice cubes or ice lollies.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums have a pretty edible flower and spicy leaves. Nasturtiums help keep aphids off other plants. They like the sun or shaded areas in well-drained soil and require watering a few times a week.

Sugar Snap Peas

Sugar snap peas produce lots of pods and even the flowers are edible and brighten up salads. They are great pick-your-own snack for the kids in the garden. Plant them in spring to harvest and eat in summer. Sugar snap peas like well-drained soil and should be watered a few times a week.

Violas

There are lots of varieties with bright colours and they are fun and easy to grow, with the added bonus of edible flowers that look great in salads, ice cubes and lollies

Violas like rich, well-drained moist soil – don’t overwater.

Great Kids Gardening Herbs That Appear in Regular Children’s Cooking

Herbs are quick and easy to grow, maintain and make great companion plants.

Herbs will grow outdoors until winter and indoors all year round.

Herbs are scented and generally have the added bonus of keeping unfriendly and unwanted pests, bugs and insects away, although, the herbs are not just tasty to humans! Gardeners have to be on the watch for slugs and snails! They can be grown in pots or beds, in rich soil, partial shade or sun, water regularly.

Some herb examples include:

• Basil
• Bay leaves
• Chives
• Chrysanthemum
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lavender
• Lemon balm
• Lemon Thyme
• Lemongrass
• Mint
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme

Kids Gardening Flowers – Which Flowers Are Fun and Interesting to Grow for Children?

Short-Term Kids Gardening

• Kids love fast, BIG growth with a great splash of colour.
• Understandably children are less interested the long-run payoff from plants and trees.
• But I like to include a blend of short-term and long-term kids’ plant and fruit tree growing.

Long-Term Kids Gardening

The trees do not have to be huge and planted in the ground. The trees can be grown in large pots with the proper care, both indoors for fruits from warmer climates and outdoors for traditional fruit trees. Examples that can be harvested from everyday fruit include:

• Fruit trees
• Apples
• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums

Just take a seed from the children’s favourite fruit, dry it and have a go.

Want to know how to harvest, dry and store seeds?

There is a video and supporting instructions below on this simple subject. Its easier than you might think for kids to harvest seeds, dry seeds, store seeds and plant seeds!

Harvesting Seeds

There is a great deal of advice on this subject and details optimum storage conditions.

My View of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Seeds Harvesting

Yes, all the seed saving advice is relevant and correct, but…

There are no storage conditions outside in the real world of nature other than inside droppings or a rotting vegetable on the ground or under the ground – and plants still continue to grow.

So, you can have a go yourself, dry them on a windowsill at room temperature or a warm spot or shelf and then try to grow them in a propagator.

It’s quite rewarding to have saved a seed from your favourite fruit or vegetable and then actually grow the plant!

 

My Simple Method of Kids Gardening Seed Harvesting

• Take the seeds out of the fruit or vegetable.
• Wash them.
• Lay them on something to dry at room temperature for a number of weeks.
• I lay them out to dry off the enzyme layer that surrounds the seed and it helps stop them rotting off.
• Once dried, plant them or store them in an airtight bag or envelope.
• If you are storing them, label them, record the date, keep them is dry cool spot and if you have time, maybe look up those ideal conditions in which to store saved seeds – it can only help, can’t it!

Kids Gardening Propagation

 

Propagating seed is a pretty simple process.

The elements required are:

• Container – heated propagators work best, but it could be as simple as
• Growth medium – soil, compost or things like absorbent paper or cotton wool
• Water – do not let the seeds dry out – see my story about sad little Phyllis
• Heat – warmer is better
• Dark (optional)
• Then Sunlight (after germination – when the shoot appears)

Homemade Kids Gardening Propagators Do-It- Yourself (DIY)

There is no need to rush out and buy a heated propagator.

Recycle and Build Your Own DIY Kids Propagator

Try it yourself using simple household items. A container, something to hold water run-off and bag is all you need, try using a:

• A cleaned takeaway tray
• An eggbox
• Cut up toilet rolls

Method:

• Fill them with compost.
• Plant the seeds.
• Cover with a clear or opaque bag.
• Place on a water retaining plat, tray or lid.
• Place near a heat source like a radiator or a heated water tank.
• Then check every few days to see if the seeds have germinated.

Repelling Unwanted Pests

Nature has pests.

Solution = Plant things that repel them or draw them away from other vegetables.

Encourage biological protectors or defenders.

There are a number of plants and scents that repel pests these are covered in detail in the Kids Gardening Frequently Asked Questions listed below.

Encourage Biological Predators

• Insectivorous species or good bugs and insects can be introduced to a greenhouse.
• Many vegetable and fruit crop pests are insects or bugs.
• I was involved in large greenhouse operations. To protect the crop from pests, insects and bugs that ate and ruined the plants we could put in good bugs that defended the crops by eating the other pest insects.
• This is known as biological control and the species of insects that ate the pests are known as insectivorous species.
• An every day example is a ladybird!

Can carnivorous plants protect greenhouse plants?

Yes, carnivorous plants can be used as a pest deterrent. The Venus fly trap is probably the most well-known type of carnivorous plant.

Which plants repel unwanted insects?

Plants, herbs, smell and scents that repel pests include:

• Basil
• Bay leaves
• Chives
• Chrysanthemum
• Dill
• Fennel
• Lavender
• Lemon balm
• Lemon Thyme
• Lemongrass
• Mint
• Nasturtiums
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme

 

Kids’ Gardening Learning Expanded into Educational and Scientific Teaching Ideas

These are some of the kids home-school education, teaching and learning ideas we have expanded on.

Homeschool Children’s Gardening Science and Storytelling

Why not blend a great children’s story with some home school science. Let me explain:

How to Grow Jack and the Beanstalk in a Jar

• Put wet cotton balls in a jar with a dry bean and place it on a sunny windowsill.
• Make sure you can see the bean so the kids can watch it grow.
• Watch it grow over the next few days.
• Water when required.

The Fun Bean Growing Science Experiment

• Discuss beans, how they grow, and what beans and plants need to grow.
• If our bean did not have water – do you think our bean would grow?
• If our bean did not have sunlight – do you think our bean would grow?
• How do you think our bean is taking water from the cotton balls?
• The answers might surprise and entertain you!

Kids Storytelling with Jack and the Beanstalk

It is a perfect opportunity to include one of the great children’s stories of all time – Jack and the Beanstalk. Try and incorporate it whilst the kids watch their own magic beanstalk grow!

 

More Kids Gardening Science and Children’s Gardening Learning Ideas

Children’s Gardening Weights and Measures – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Children’s gardening learning and gardening science can be as simple as talking about weights and measures and the different sizes and volumes between compost and water.

Maybe discuss the weight and yield of fruit and vegetables form the plant.

Kids Gardening Materials, Growing Mediums – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Kids can do research into different gardening items, materials and growing mediums on the internet and put them into tables, charts and spider diagrams or mind maps.

Kids Food Ingredients and Even Food Recipes Online Research from Garden Grown Fruit and Vegetables – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Kids can do research into different ingredients and recipes on the internet and put them into spider diagrams or mind maps. Maybe start with their favourite meals, deconstruct the meal, lay out the ingredients, see what can be grown and make a plan to grow the fruit, vegetables and herbs in the garden with a view to making their favourite meals once the plants have matured enough to harvest.

History and Traditions of the Gardening and Growing Industry – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

There is plenty of information in the Kids Gardening FAQs at the bottom of this article about the history of gardening and the growing industry.

Children’s Gardening Survey Research and Data Presentation – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Older children could do surveys of classmates, friends and family and perform data mining to produce graphs and charts about gardening preferences, likes and dislikes of ingredients like fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Develop a Kids Gardening Recipe, Cook, Film and Produce the Video – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Kids could write their own recipe instructions based on their favourite meal such as a pizza they would like to make, cook and eat and then plan to plant and grow the ingredients to make that special meal by following the recipe – maybe even video it and produce it!

Children’s Get Creative in Kids Gardening Design and Decoration – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Children could be encouraged to engage their creativity and draw or illustrate fun plant, flower and gardening faces like the one in our video.

Other ideas could be birthdays, football teams, public holidays like Easter and Christmas.

Maybe incorporate favourite animals, or characters from TV, video, games and cartoons.

Kids Gardening Maths, Mathematics or Math – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Use the children’s garden and planting beds to plan out the areas in which to plant. Discover fractions such as quarters, sixths and eighths, division and allocation of area.

Budgets and finances could be incorporated by running the garden like a garden centre or nursery.

Maybe add on another operation like a shop or a restaurant.

• What ingredients do they need?
• How much is charged for them? – What is the market rate?
• How much should be charged for the ingredients?
• How much was spent on making them?

Kids Gardening English – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Get creative and convincing with advertising, maybe write an article or press release about new garden centre or product for a food producer or restaurant.

Kids Gardening Design and Technology – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

The article above could be used as:

• a social media marketing post, or
• blog post.

The kids could design:

• a logo,
• make images, and
• write a strapline or marketing slogan.
• Then translate that into packaging for supermarkets and takeaways in the form of a vegetable box.

Kids Gardening Science – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

• Can vegetables be created in a laboratory?
• Can trees be spliced? For example

Plant, vegetable and fruit delivery is a science subject:

• How are the plants, fruit and vegetables kept cool in transport from farm or garden centre to shop or doorstep?
• How does that delivery impact on carbon footprint?
• Is it healthier to make their own vegetables, fruit and herbs and cook food from fresh, with low fat ingredients at home?
• What are the changes that the ingredients undergo during the mixing and cooking processes?
• What are certain ingredients added?
• How do those ingredients affect the cooking process and the taste of the food?
• How do sugar and salt impact the process?
• Are sugar and salt good for you?
• How much do we need?
• Can we get it from naturally occurring sources like fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs?

Kids Gardening Geography – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

• Where were particular vegetables discovered?
• Such as Sir Francis Drake and the potato.
• Who invented certain dishes?
• What ingredients did they have growing nearby to make those dishes?
• What areas are famous for or traditionally associated with certain produce?

Kids Gardening Technology – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

Use digital skills to research all the answers to the above questions such as:

• food ingredients,
• cooking,
• varieties,
• history, and
• geography.

What growing methods are used in larger greenhouses such as:

• hydroponics,
• nutrient film technique (NFT), and
• rockwool.

Chilli Growing Technology

I was a large-scale chilli grower. My company was called Little Green Men Chilli and I grew over 100 varieties of chilli in a huge chilli growing facility on the Lancashire coast. I utilised hydroponics, nutrient film technique (NFT), and rockwool in my growing, but also kept my home-based pot grown chillies in compost.

Kids Gardening History – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

• Research the history of a particular vegetable, fruit or plant, such as the potato and Sir Walter Raleigh.
• Explore the historical claims and conflicting arguments about the development of the item in question.
• Discover the traditions and culture surrounding the development of the item.
• Appreciate the simplicity and beauty of the traditional way of growing fruit, vegetables and plants, and the complexity of the larger farming methods.
• Chart the spread of the fruit, vegetable and plant throughout the world.

Kids Gardening Using Other Languages – Home School Education and Learning Ideas

• Continue the idea of the agribusiness into exploring translation into other languages.
• Order or buy products in another language.
• Explore the other currencies.
• Engage the internet translation sites to convert the languages and learn new and useful digital skills.

 

Our Famous Gardening for Kids’ Nursery Rhyme – Gardening is Such Mucky Fun!

Gardening is such mucky fun!

Planting seeds with dad or mum.

In the soil way down low.

Pop them in and watch them grow.

 

We also plant the seeds inside.

The windowsill is where they hide.

In the soil, they seek the sun.

Spotting green shoots is such fun.

 

We pot them on and move outside.

The garden bed is where they hide.

Until the day when flowers bloom,

And fruit will follow after soon.

 

Then we pick the veg and fruit.

Cooking them is such a hoot!

We never knew that plants could make,

Everything we need to bake!

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Kids Gardening FAQ

Here are some kids’ gardening frequently asked questions:

What can I do with kids in the garden?

Here are 7 easy and fun ways to entertain the kids in home school and get them off the digital stuff for a bit of fresh outdoor life!

• Use creative skills such as craftwork, design and building.

• Give the children their own part of the garden to design, develop, grow and cultivate for themselves.

• Spilt the garden into different activity areas.

• Design a beautiful border and then plant it.

• Birdwatching.

• Spot wildlife, bugs and insects.

• Pay the kids pocket money for doing the work and allow them to charge you for the vegetables they harvest.

• Create a garden of the senses or sensory garden.

How does gardening help a kid's development?

Kids Gardening provides the children with new skills to help in their development.

When children work in the garden and move items around such as soil and equipment it helps them engage their muscles and helps with:

• Physical development

• Body management skills

• Locomotor skills

• Object control skills

• Self-confidence from a sense of achievement

What are the benefits of gardening for kids?

Gardening has many benefits for children. Self-development and self-discovery lead to a sense of achievement and self-confidence in:

• Sensory Development – gardening engages the senses and develops the ability of the child to recognise scent, visual colours, sounds of bees and insects, for example.

• Eating healthily - children can not only learn to eat fresh vegetables, but deconstruct a favourite meal into recipe and grow the necessary ingredients.

• Patience – gardening is a slow, low-intensity exercise and the act of digging and planting teaches patience for the final sense of achievement in the finished gardening task.

• Responsibility – tools, digging, soil transportation and water are all important tasks to help give life to plants – the most important task of all.

• Social skills – interacting with others to achieve a desired result, teamwork in bringing life to plants and the eventual payoff when vegetables mature for eating.

• Can be aligned with Educational Topics – see more detail on ideas for lesson plans, homeschooling and projects for older children ranging from science, finance and technology to design and creative ideas for kids gardening.

How can I make the garden fun for kids?

To make the garden fun for kids requires an element of discovery, education and fun to achieve a group goal of planting seeds or a shrub.

It is not just fun, it is building life skills, but enjoying the achievement of a life-giving task, whilst getting a bit mucky and dirty in the garden.

• Set the task and put the child in charge.

• Help fill in the blanks when the child gets stuck.

• Allow the child to create the roles. Decide who is doing what?

• Kids are kids – let them play and get a little dirty. That dirt can release serotonin – our happy chemical.

• If there are insects around, let the kids explore them and explain their purpose. (or Google it and then explain it!)

• Explore food production and maybe plant the ingredients for a favourite food or recipe.

• Assess their task. Give them positive feedback and support to help build self-confidence.

• And above all HAVE FUN!!

How can I help my toddler to garden?

8 tips for helping toddlers in the garden:

1. Prepare first.

2. Assume nothing. Toddlers will rip anything apart and pick unripe vegetables

3. Keep it simple

4. Keep the activity obvious – like planting in rows

5. Make sure the tasks are simple enough for toddler to complete

6. Plant to eat – grow vegetables that the toddler likes, but also those that you would like them to try.

7. Remember the fun of making it is directly proportional to chance of eating it and liking it!

8. Enjoy yourself – gardening is one of the oldest forms of low-intensity exercise and sources of relaxation, de-stressing and joy of achievement building self-confidence and self-esteem.

What are gardening and growing activities?

Kids gardening helps children develop muscle and motor skills, senses, reasoning, self-achievement and self-confidence whilst beginning to understand and appreciate nature and science culminating in harvesting and cooking the fruits of their labour.

Gardening and growing activities start at:

• Seed selection

• Digging the rows

• Planting the seeds

• Watering

• Tending and adding supports

• Weeding

• Pest identification and removal

• Feeding

• Harvesting

• Cooking

What can kids learn from gardening?

Gardening can teach children valuable Life Skills in:

• Kids’ responsibility for the life of a plant. Life is the most important responsibility there is – it is the most precious commodity on planet Earth.

• Children’s creativity in gardening helps develop and expand the imagination to develop production and planning skills.

• Kids’ nutrition in gardening is of paramount importance to teach them about healthy choices and the fresh components of kids’ recipes and children’s meals that can be grown in the garden.

• Children’s health and fitness can be encouraged and developed in the activities of kids’ gardening building important muscle and motor skills and strength for everyday activities.

• Kids’ discovery of seeds, plants and soil – the interaction of nature and the science that brings a vegetable from seed, soil and water.

• Children’s self-confidence can be developed by guided learning in completion of the planting task, care for the plant in watering and feeding through to harvesting and cooking the mature vegetables.

Why is gardening important for kids to learn?

Kids’ gardening provides learning opportunities in:

• Reasoning and problem-solving.

• Environmental choices and awareness.

• Nutrition by understanding growing food leads to healthy choices in meal components and balanced diets.

• Discovery, senses and reasoning.

• Self-achievement and self-confidence in the finished task.

• Understanding and appreciating nature and science.

Where did gardening originate?

The first written evidence of gardening was in Sumer in Lower Mesopotamia.

Gilgamesh states that Uruk was 'one third gardens.'

How gardening makes you happy?

Mycobacterium vaccae is the bacteria in soil.

Serotonin is our happy chemical.

When our skin contacts the bacteria in the soil it can raise serotonin levels in the brain and make us happy.

Serotonin strengthens the immune system and is a natural anti-depressant.

How gardening is good for your health?

When our skin contacts the mycobacterium vaccae bacteria in the soil it can raise serotonin levels in the brain and make us happy.

Serotonin is our happy chemical; it strengthens the immune system and is a natural anti-depressant.

The physical work of digging, pushing and pulling in gardening is a form of exercise and build strength for everyday activities.

Can gardening make you fit?

Low intensity physical activity is good for physical fitness and gentle route to exercise and good health.

The physical work of digging, pushing and pulling in gardening is exercise for the muscles and tendons of the body, it gets the heart rate up and builds up physical muscle strength for everyday activities.

Can gardening save money?

Yes, gardening saves money!

It not only saves money – it can make you money!

Kids can grow fruit and vegetables to eat and save money in the household budget.

Save on the cost of seeds.

The seeds from the vegetables and fruit can be harvested, dried, stored and planted by the children.

Kids could set up a little fruit and vegetable business and sell their produce to make money!

A great way to introduce children to business and the financial rewards from good honest gardening work.

Can gardening be a career?

• Yes, it can! Ask Alan Titchmarsh or Monty Don!!

• R.K. Alker Kids Author, Grower and Food Evangelist (me) took his hobby of growing chillies to the top of the chilli industry as he became the country’s highest profile chilli grower and star of TV, radio and press. Read more about my amazing story here https://www.rkalker.com/press

• The ability to grow and build knowledge about methods of gardening, growing and the knowledge and science of horticulture and agriculture can lead to many jobs in many areas.

• Gardening job examples range from tending gardens to tending golf courses and stately homes.

• The food on your table is all grown by people in horticulture and agriculture and it is a huge industry.

How gardening helps mental health?

• Some Swedish research found that the more people gardened the less stress they reported.

• The Mental Health Journal reported that gardening improved people’s moods, reduced stress, anxiety and depression.

• The simple act of looking at a green area has been reported as helping people de-stress and relax with a positive effect on mental health.

• The positive results and sense of achievement can help increase self-confidence and raise self-esteem.

How gardening reduces stress and depression?

• The Mental Health Journal reported that gardening stress, anxiety and depression and improved people’s moods.

• Swedish research reported that the more people gardened the less they reported stress.

• Simply looking at a green area has been reported to help onlookers de-stress and relax with a positive effect on their mental health.

• The self-satisfying results of gardening provide a sense of achievement which can help improve self-confidence and self-esteem.

Which insects and wildlife repel unwanted pests?

• There are specific biological predators that are insectivorous and eat unfriendly pests, insects and bugs.

• Carnivorous plants can be used to protect greenhouse plants from unwanted pests, insects and bugs.

What are biological predators?

• Insectivorous species or good bugs and insects can be introduced to a greenhouse.

• Many vegetable and fruit crop pests are insects or bugs.

• I was involved in large greenhouse operations. To protect the crop from pests, insects and bugs that ate and ruined the plants we could put in good bugs that defended the crops by eating the other pest insects.

• This is known as biological control and the species of insects that ate the pests are known as insectivorous species.

Can carnivorous plants protect greenhouse plants?

• Yes, carnivorous plants can be used as a pest deterrent.

• Venus fly trap is probably the most well-known type of carnivorous plant.

Which plants repel unwanted insects?

Plants, herbs, smell and scents that repel pests include:

• Basil

• Bay leaves

• Chives

• Chrysanthemum

• Dill

• Fennel

• Lavender

• Lemon balm

• Lemon Thyme

• Lemongrass

• Mint

• Oregano

• Parsley

• Rosemary

• Sage

• Thyme

Who pays for gardening leave?

• The term 'gardening leave' is often used during a notice period.

• An employer may ask an employee not to go into work, or to work from home or another location.

• The employee should receive the same contractual benefits and pay.

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Who is RK Alker Children’s Author?

R.K. Alker Best-Selling Children’s Author was born in the UK, but he was MADE IN LANCASHIRE!

He is famous as the TV & Radio ChilliMan aficionado and a champion of local producers or “Food Evangelist!”

R.K. Alker has a career spanning more than 3 decades of university lecturing, content writing, UK 999 emergency ambulances, media and entertainment as the colourful TV ChilliMan which contributed to this hilarious children’s adventure book written for his kids.

Read RK Alker Funny Kids’ Author’s amazing story in the PRESS SECTION CLICK HERE

RK Alker is an author of funny children’s books from Chorley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom, Earth!

His little girls think RK Alker is the Best Funny Kids Author in the World.

Find RK Alker Children’s Author Events, Book Readings, Children’s Bedtime Stories, Kids’ Storytelling, School Author Visits, Children’s Book Signings and more on Eventbrite.

R.K. Alker is also The Chilli man from Little Green Men, a master of The Ancient Lancastrian Art of Ecky Thump! and can be found on Instagram, Blogger.com & Yell