14 April 2020
Things to do with kids this Easter
Running out of ways to keep the family entertained at home? Try these ideas from Suzie Jewel, designer of our Children's Garden.
With the sun shining and the children at home, you might be running out of ways to keep them active.
We're passionate about getting all the family excited about nature.
That's why our designer of our Children's Garden, Suzie Jewell, has come up with a few ideas to stimulate those creative juices with arts, crafts and plants.
Don't forget!
Wash your hands thoroughly before and after finishing any of these activities
Sow some fun
Grow sunflowers and have a competition to see whose grows tallest
Space seeds about 30cm apart in a shallow trench between 2.5 and 5cms deep.
In sandy soil, 5cm deep is better.
Cover and keep watered until seeds sprout in 7 to 10 days. May the one with the best green fingers win!
Nurture some cress heads using eggshells and cotton wool
Wash out some eggshells with warm water and pop them into egg cups or back into the egg box ready for filling.
Then use some cotton wool to grow your cress in.
Fill your eggshells with damp cotton wool, sprinkle with cress seeds, and spray the seeds with a little water to moisten them, then onto a windowsill to grow.
Check them each day and spray them with a little more water if they look dry – in a few days they should have grown enough for you to put fresh cress in a delicious sandwich.
To add a bit of creativity, why not decorate each eggshell with a different face or design?
Reveal your hidden artist
Pebbles can be your canvas
Mini rocks and pebbles are not just there to stub toes but also as mother nature’s canvas.
Why not start a collection in a bowl, and write a thought a day or draw a picture, then give the bowl full of wonderful creations to a loved one when you are able to see them again.
Leafy designs
Let those creative juices flow and head into the garden to find some leaves – big, small, round or tear dropped. Once you have collected your leafy stack, find a couple of different paint colours, painting one side of the leaf.
Remember to only use leaves found on the ground.
Press the leaf down onto some paper while the paint is still wet, creating a lovely print or the start of a masterpiece.
Make something out of your garden
A grass whistle
This skill was mastered by previous generations and is guaranteed to create hours of fun and noise outdoors.
All you need is a blade of grass and two thumbs.
Put your thumbs together and hold the blade of grass between them – then blow into the crack between your thumbs, so the air blows over the grass...you should hear a whistling sound.
If you don't hear anything, move the blade of grass a little, and try again. Soon the sound of grass whistles will fill the air.
A bug hotel
Using sticks, pine cones and tin cans create the finest place for insects to stay.
A great way to recycle tin cans – remember to get an adult to clean out your can first, then go find hollow sticks, pine cones and dry leaves, cutting them to the correct size if needed and filling the can.
You can also tie your hollow sticks together if you would prefer. Tie some string around the outside of the can to hang it up.
Wrap something bright and colourful around your tin can to make it your own unique design.
