Gardening Gear, Other

Gardening Gift Ideas for Kids

Posted on by Erica
29
Nov
Flower Patch Garden Kit for kids
Planeteco’s Flower, Herb and Vegie Patch Kits are the perfect gifts for kids who love gardening.
We are often asked about gardening gift ideas for kids. Here are our top gift suggestions that cater for a wide range of ages, abilities and likes. If you need any further advice or have any questions please email us at info@gardening4kids.com.au.

  1. My First Gardening Tools– This set is the perfect gift for any little green thumb whether they are new to gardening or “old hands”. They come in four different colours (blue, green, orange and pink) and feature a set of gardening tools, a pair of gloves and a bucket. Continue reading →
Compost and worm farms, Mini Bloggers

Mini Blogger – Composting by Sophia aged 11

Posted on by Erica
Sophia and compost bin
Sophia Mixing Her Compost
Why compost?
Composting is a great way to reduce waste and feed your garden. By composting your fruit and vegetable scraps you are not only doing a good deed for nature but you are helping reduce pollution; for example when you throw your fruit and veggie scraps in the normal rubbish bin it rots and produces toxic gasses. When you compost you avoid this.
By composting you are also creating a cycle: first you eat the fruit and/or vegetables and then throw the scraps in your compost bucket, when your compost bucket gets full you take the bucket out to your big compost bin and over time the scraps will break down so that you can use it on your veggie garden. This is excellent soil for your new vegetables to grow healthy and also saves you money because you don’t have to buy soil. Once it has all broken down you can use it on your garden, then when your fruits and veggies are ready to pick the cycle restarts. Continue reading →

Garden activities for kids

Gardening Activities Around Australia These School Holidays

Posted on by Erica
22
Sep
girls at cranbourne bot gardens
Kid Friendly Activities at the Cranbourne Botanic Gardens
With the school holidays upon us in most parts of the country, it is a great time to visit your local Botanic Garden. Many Botanic Gardens around Australia have free or low cost activities designed for kids.  Links to some of the kid friendly activities happening at our Botanic Gardens during the September 2014 school holidays are listed below.
Sydney – A range of activities for children aged between 3 and 12, held at the Sydney, Mount Annan and Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.
Melbourne – Craft, nature and gardening activities for kids held at the Melbourne and Cranbourne Botanic Gardens.
Brisbane – Story time for toddlers and free school kids activities at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. Continue reading →

Garden activities for kids, What to plant and when

Growing Herbs for Kids

Posted on by Erica
04
Feb

Herbs for kids
Herbs are easy to grow making them ideal for kids, first time gardeners and those without a lot of space in their gardens. Herbs smell beautiful, look interesting and taste amazing. Kids love picking, experimenting and playing with them so growing them is a great way to encourage kids to be outside, exploring their senses and having fun in the garden. Continue reading →

Other

How to Stay Safe in the Garden this Summer

Posted on by Erica
09
Jan
Stay safe in the garden this summer
Wearing appropriate clothing helps protect little ones in the garden

Summer is a wonderful time for kids to be outdoors in garden and the following tips will help keep your little green thumbs safe:

1. Always supervise your children in the garden. You don’t need to hover over the top of them but it is important to keep an eye on what they are up to.
2. Protect your little one’s hands with a pair of gardening gloves. Not only will they safeguard them from biting and stinging insects they will also help protect against any prickly plants. Continue reading →

Other, School garden

Our Top 5 Books about Gardening and Nature

Posted on by Erica
20
Dec

garden book library quote
There’s a Chinese proverb “A book is like a garden in your pocket!”, and second to seeing seeds grow, nothing inspires junior gardeners better than reading about it in books.
Here’s our top 5  pick of classic picture books about gardening and nature your kids will love reading: Continue reading →

Our environment

Connecting Children to Nature Around the World

Posted on by Erica
13
Sep

Connecting kids to nature.
I love meeting fellow nature lovers who enjoy connecting children to nature.  Over the last few years I have made some truly wonderful connections with people from around the world who share my joy. I am always inspired by those who work hard to teach children about the wonders and the fragility of our earth. Their work encourages younger generations to think and act in a more environmentally sustainable manner and that has to be a good thing.
I was honoured to be contacted by the Children & Nature Network and asked to provide information and photos for a presentation they would be showing at the 2013 Grassroots Gathering in California. Continue reading →

School garden

The Green Sustainability Project at Hillarys Early Childhood Learning Centre

Posted on by Erica
26
Jun
Hillarys Early Learning Centre garden
The children enjoyed planting and caring for their vegetables.
Every year since 2008 Coles and Junior Landcare have been providing grants to schools and youth groups to create gardens in their grounds or community.  The Hillarys Early Childhood Learning Centre, in Hillarys, Western Australia, received a $1100 grant in 2012 to develop an interactive sensory garden that involved not only the school and parent community but also members of the wider, local community. This is their story:
The Green Sustainability Project at Hillarys Early Childhood Learning Centre is a community project involving the staff from the school, the parent community and wider community (grandparents and interested members of the local community) which turned a very lifeless patch of unused ground attached to the Early Years Learning Centre into an interactive Sensory Garden. Continue reading →

Other

How Do You Feel About Gardening with Kids?

Posted on by Erica
27
May

How do you feel about gardening with kids?
Just in case you haven’t worked it out by now, I love gardening with kids. Last week I asked our followers on Facebook “If you could use one word to describe what it is like to garden with little ones what would it be?”. The answers were wide and varied but overwhelmingly most people used positive words to describe gardening with kids. The most common response was ‘inspiring’ which in itself is inspiring to read. It is wonderful to read that so many people can understand the benefits of gardening with children. Other words used included: Continue reading →

Guest Posts

Guest Post: How to Create a Rubbish Garden

Posted on by Erica
30
Jan
Chloe Marchbank is enjoys teaching her children about the environment and recycling.
Today’s guest post is written by Chloe Marchbank, a freelance writer and mum to three daughters. Chloe is passionate about teaching her daughters about the importance of caring for the environment and religiously recycles whatever and whenever she can.
Now, I know that on reading the title of this article, you’re probably thinking, “Why on earth would I want to make my garden look rubbish? Surely, I’m after tips on how to make it look nicer?” Well, before I go on any further, let me explain myself – because, when I use the term ‘rubbish’, I am in fact referring to using old household items to make your garden not only look nicer, but to also make it more eco-friendly – with the help of your children!
Your children are bound to love getting involved with helping you make these creations for your garden, and what’s more, it’ll also teach them the importance of recycling old items to help and do something positive for the environment around them. Continue reading →