I am loving all of the terrific ideas shared for each Discover and Explore theme so far! Thank you for joining in and reading along. This week we are going to Discover and Explore Gardening with Kids. If you followed along with our S is for Seeds theme, you know we spent a lot of time learning about seeds in anticipation of spring and planting season. Today I thought I would share a little more about our gardening journey.
We finished up our seed theme with an Invitation to Plant Seeds. The kids each started their own seeds, and we also planted a few different kinds of vegetables in a small container garden.
Tinker and Little Buddy enjoyed playing in the soil so much that I decided to make the kids their own Gardening Sensory Bin. That way they could explore and participate in the gardening without digging up our little seedlings.
The bin inspired a lot of wonderful pretend play until we found a little surprise…sprouts! We added some old seeds to the bin to play with, and we never watered them. Somehow they grew anyway, and now we have a very interesting mixture of flowers, pumpkins, watermelons, broccoli, and who knows what else. We’re not sure how long they will all happily coexist together, but it’s been a great extension to our play and learning.
So far we haven’t lost any plants! If you knew my history with gardening, you would appreciate just how much of an accomplishment this is. The kids are so excited about our little garden. Every morning Lovey wants to run out and check on the plants. We visit a few times each day to see how things are progressing. And the day she found the first ready-to-eat veggie from the garden, she was ready to dig up the whole yard to make room for more plants. Her enthusiasm is contagious (but we didn’t dig up the yard)!
Whether you are an avid gardener or a novice like me, I hope you’ll plant something with your kids this season. If you’re looking for a little guidance and some easy ways to get started gardening with kids, you might be interested in The Garden Classroom . It has given me so much inspiration and encouragement. We’ve already tried a few of the activities, and I’m looking forward to trying out even more soon.
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Mary Catherine
April 29, 2013 at 9:49 pmSo many great ideas here, thank you! 🙂 I am not always the best when it comes to keeping plants alive, but my son really wants us to figure a way to have a mini garden on our back porch. We live in an apartment, so a full-blown garden isn’t an option. It’s on our spring/summer “to do” list. 🙂
Shaunna
April 30, 2013 at 6:37 amI know what you mean! I’m not the best gardener either. But we’ve been talking a bit about one of the neat parts about gardening being that if something doesn’t work out, you just pull it up and start over. I hope you have some luck with your mini-garden!
Sharla
April 27, 2013 at 11:11 amWe are on a bit of a gardening kick at the moment because we have been reading The Secret Garden and it has my kids fascinated with gardening. I’ve never been very good at growing things but we have started sprouting some bean seeds and when our snow finally melts, we are planning to plant some vegetables in pots on our deck. Love that your sensory bin actually sprouted! What a surprise for all of you!
Shaunna
April 28, 2013 at 12:48 pmOh, how perfect to read The Secret Garden during the spring. I’ve been very good at gardening either, but I’m finding that the kids are so excited by the whole process that we are all eager to be out tending to our little plants. I hope you and your family have good luck with your vegetables!
Holli
April 27, 2013 at 9:25 amWhat a great collection. We will have to try the sensory bin for our two-year-olds as we get planting this spring. I’d love for you to share this at my Spring Bucket List. Thanks for sharing, and Happy Spring!
Shaunna
April 28, 2013 at 12:46 pmI bet your two-year-olds will enjoy the sensory bin. It has been a great way for the littlest ones around her to play and be involved in gardening. Thanks for the invitation to share.
Coombemill
April 24, 2013 at 6:08 pmLovely when they are enthusiastic to help in the garden Just popping over from It’s Playtime.
Shaunna
April 24, 2013 at 9:31 pmI agree! I’m not the best gardener, so their enthusiasm really keeps me into it as well. We’re learning so much together this year!
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April 24, 2013 at 8:06 amshared my post and a couple from Gummylump Blog 🙂
Shaunna
April 24, 2013 at 1:06 pmThanks for joining in!
Tanya
April 24, 2013 at 7:14 amSo cool that the seeds sprouted in your sensory bin!
Shaunna
April 24, 2013 at 7:16 amIsn’t it? That tub has become one of the kids’ favorite spots to observe in the garden.