Gardening with kids can be a lot of fun. It’s one of those activities that you can get the whole family involved in. You don’t need to have a massive garden and you certainly don’t need a shed full of tools to get everyone involved.
Urban gardening is becoming more and more popular especially due to the fact that a lot of us don’t have large gardens, but don’t worry for our 7 special things you need to know, you just need you, your kids and a bit of sunlight.
Urban Gardening with Kids
Start Small
It’s really easy to get excited over a project and bite off more than you can chew, but make sure you start small so you can see the progress you and your children are making! Instead of planning to dig an entire veggie patch, why not start by using pots?
These aren’t as permanent, but you can still have all the fun of putting in seeds, filling it up with compost and watching it grow!
Add A Flash Of Color
There isn’t a lot that is less interesting to a child than boring garden tools such as watering cans, so why not let your kids paint their own?
Using environmentally friendly paint in any color they want will allow them to feel they are involved in the gardening project and they will have their own tools and utensils to help around with!
Tools
Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you will need a few tools to make sure you can do the small jobs correctly. Why not let your kids have their own trowel and apron?
When it comes to repotting, they’ll be super excited to put their own gear on and want to be involved and help.
There is nothing like ownership to help instill a sense of pride and keep kids interested, especially if they are able to put on their own gear and work on their own projects with you. There are few more things you can read and remember at ToolsDiary
Build Bird Houses
Gardening doesn’t need to be just about dirt and plants, why not get your kids involved in helping the local wildlife thrive too?
Building bird boxes can help get birds to stay in your garden and take up residency, this will not only lessen the need for pest control as they will eat all the bugs, but it gives your children a chance to see what type of wildlife there is around.
You can allow them to build and then decorate the bird boxes and let them sit back and watch as birds of all shapes and sizes move into your garden.
Plant All Year Round Flowers
Whether you have a small balcony or a patio, you can plant all year round flowers in pots and leave them in an area where they will get good light.
You can get your kids involved with the choosing and the planting of the flowers, all the way through to choosing where in the garden or on the balcony they will live.
This makes sure that your garden will always have some color in it and your kids will see what they have grown on a daily basis.
Make A Herb Garden
Growing vegetables can require a lot of space which isn’t always practical in an urban setting, but you can grow herbs which take up a lot less space. Give your child or children their own plant pot and allow them to plant an array of herbs in there.
Once they have grown, you can then even show them how to use them in cooking to keep their curiosity ignited.
Make A Terrarium
If you are really stuck on space or the weather isn’t looking on you too favorably, why not create a terrarium? You can set these up really easily and small hands are ideal for placing succulents at the bottom of a big jar.
Your child can choose all aspects of the terrarium, from choosing the jar, all the way through to choosing what type of succulents they want in it.
When assembling the terrarium, they can use their tools and aprons and still feel like they are gardening, even if it is on a smaller scale and inside!
Final Thoughts
Urban gardening can be tough, and it can be even harder trying to get kids involved and keep them interested.
With our 7 special tips, you are not only increasing their gardening ability, but you are also educating them in an array of topics from ecology all the way through to horticulture.
You can easily set up all of these projects we have mentioned in a few hours and they will provide hours of amusement for very little cost.
Whether you want to paint a watering can or create a herb garden, there is a tip for you to help your day of gardening with kids to be a magical one.
