We're well into April now, and it's time for me to plan my garden. But I wouldn't dream of plotting what to plant without involving my son. He's not exactly what I'd call an avid gardener, but both at school and at home, he's been involved in gardening projects since he was big enough to drop a seed into the ground. Now he helps brainstorm which vegetables we should grow this year.
As long as your project is age-appropriate, gardening can be mind-expanding, creative fun for kids. Here are 10 gardening project for kids, going from easy to more advanced.
1. Toilet Paper Tube Planter: Before you throw that toilet paper tube away, save it for this simple gardening project. Here's instructions for making a toilet paper tube planter. You can also make planters with newspaper.
2. Watering Chart: Even if your child doesn't do all the watering themselves, they can help you keep track of that watering using this free, printable watering chart. Figure out together which plants need to be watered when and fill it in.
3. Houseplants: Another easy way to get into gardening. Costa Farms, in collaboration with O2forYou.org, is selling Plant Party houseplants and stickers for kids through the month of April. These are the kinds of plants you almost can't kill.
4. Strawberry Plant: Sometimes it helps to start small -- really small. If you're both new to gardening, start your child with a strawberry plant from the garden store. Get instructions on watering and container size, and then keep a watering chart to stay on track. The fun thing about a strawberry plant is that your child will be rewarded for their hard work with delicious berries.
5. Stone Sundial: Help your kids make this simple sundial with chalk and rocks. After it stays in place for a month or two, test it to see if you need to adjust the placement of your rocks. Bonus: This makes a lovely accent in the garden.
6. Pizza Garden: Is pizza your kids' favorite food? Introduce them to gardening by planting some of the key ingredients in pizza -- and then later in the summer, you can harvest your herbs and tomatoes to make your own pizza. Here's how to create a pizza garden.
7. Fairy Garden: Bring the dollhouse outdoors by creating a wee fairy garden with moss, twigs, and tiny plants.
8. Sensory Garden: Help your child learn about their five senses by creating a sensory garden, a garden rich with different colors, textures, scents, and tastes. Here's a guide to a sensory garden made from herbs and another garden guide created by a teacher.
9. Companion Garden: Did you know plants can make friends? Certain plants will thrive when planted near each other. Use a kid-friendly companion planting chart to help your child pick out vegetables, flowers, or herbs to plant together.
10. Kid-Size Critter Proof Veggie Garden: Feeling ambitious? Katy of the blog Mom and Her Drill created this little garden for her kids out of scrap pallets. It was an ambitious project! But you could probably start with just one small garden box for your child to tend.
Do you garden with your kids? Any other kids' gardening projects you'd like to share?