It looks like spring is finally on its way and the bad weather is nearly behind us. Erin loves being outside and would probably spend most of her time outside if she could get away with it. Last month, before the snow came, I attempted to get some new grass seed down and Erin was so interested in what I was doing. This got me thinking about how to get children interested in gardening.
I think it’s really important to let children explore and get dirty and this is something Erin is really good at. Erin’s nursery play outside most days and they encourage children to get wet and dirty when they play in the mud garden. This is part of the reason why Erin isn’t afraid to get dirty and why she loves to be outside so much.
When it comes to gardening I don’t exactly know much myself but I do think it’s important to let children copy what you’re doing. Garden tools can be dangerous though and although she wants to, it’s not safe for Erin to use the same ones that I do.
I recently came across the large kids gardening gift set from Great Little Garden and I’m so in love with it. The set, which comes beautifully wrapped in cellophane is fantastic value at £29.99.
Inside the set you get:
- Wooden Trug
- Kneeler
- 3 Piece Tool Set
- Sunflower Seeds
- Garden Apron
- Gardening Gloves
When it comes to encouraging children, especially those as young as Erin, to really get into things like gardening you have to make it as fun as possible for them. The print on the apron, kneeler and gloves is really bright, fun and covered with adorable animals. Erin immediately wanted to put the apron on when I showed it to her.
One of my favourite pieces from the whole set is the wooden trug. Erin loves to be as independent as possible and that often means carrying her own bag or coat etc. The trug is big enough to put the majority of the items into with a little careful planning and this way, Erin can carry everything out to the garden by herself.
Erin now also has her own little set of tools so can now use her fork, trowel and rake as much as she likes! The great thing is, we have a sandpit in the back garden too so Erin can get even more use out of her tools by using them there as well.
Great Little Garden have plenty of fantastic sets for children to help them get interested in gardening. If that’s not enough though, they also have some amazing playhouses which I am drooling over at the moment. I’m not sure I’d get Erin back inside if we had one though.
Do your children like to be out in the garden? Do you have any tips for helping to get them interesting in gardening?
This is a collaborative post. All opinions are our own.
