Garden And Gardener

Everything for the Gardener and their Garden

Get kids interested in the garden

by Diane - July 19th, 2016.
Filed under: Fun stuff, General Gardening.

growing lettuce on a window sill making a bug homeGet the children interested in gardening this summer with top tips from Haskins Garden Centres
Haskins Garden Centres has some great ideas for those wanting to get their children interested in gardening this summer.

Just in time for the school holidays, Haskins has launched ‘Garden Gang’ to provide parents with free gardening projects and activities to keep outdoor busy bees entertained. There are a variety of quizzes, puzzles and games in the ‘Garden Gang’ section of Haskins’ child-friendly website.

Garden Gang activities include:

Making a bug home
Children will love attracting bugs and bees into the garden with a simple home, made out of bamboo sticks. Bumble bees, solitary bees and ladybirds particularly like crawling into holes.

Making a bird snack
Mix together seeds, nuts and crumbs with lard and place in a coconut shell, then into a freezer bag and freeze. The whole family can enjoy hanging this in the garden and watching the birds enjoy a homemade snack.

Growing lettuce on a window sill
Lettuces are easy to grow through to late autumn. Fill a seed tray with soil and loosely pat down. Sow lettuce seeds as directed on the packet and cover lightly with seed compost. Spray the tray lightly with water and cover with a lid or plastic bag, then place the tray on a warm window sill. The first shoot should appear within 1-3 weeks.

Alasdair Urquhart, plant advisor at Haskins in Ferndown, said: “Our Garden Gang projects are a great opportunity for getting outside into the fresh air and having family fun. The garden is a great classroom, providing somewhere safe and rewarding to learn how to make the space more wildlife-friendly.”

Haskins is located in Ferndown in Dorset, West End in Southampton and Roundstone and Snowhill in West Sussex. For more information, visit www.haskins.co.uk/garden-gang