Our family loves to garden… even though we’re only on a quarter acre suburban plot, we still find space to get a few veggies in the ground and cram in as many flowers as possible!
Gardening is a fantastic toddler activity – kids love to get messy, and it really teaches them about how our food gets to the table, the life cycle, seasons… so much.
A very simple and fast activity for youngsters is to plant some bush beans. They sprout fast so kids won’t have to wait too long to see results.
Materials:
- Packet of bean seeds
- paper cups, egg carton, pots or just your garden plot if you can plant outdoors
- dirt
- water
Steps:
- Soak the seeds overnight to speed up germination
- Let your toddler pour some dirt into the cups/carton/pots, then poke a hole with their finger (if planting directly outdoors, scoop a hole in your garden with a plastic spoon)
- Have them drop in 1-2 beans
- Pat dirt lightly over the top
- Sprinkle with some water
In about 1-2 weeks you should see a little green shoot popping out of the dirt! Keep adding a little water daily just so the dirt doesn’t dry out. If you planted in a separate container, once the plant is about 5-6 inches high you’ll want to move to a large pot or outdoors. If you want beans continuously throughout the growing season, you’ll want to start a new round of seeds every 2-3 weeks so you can keep harvesting as the older plants expire.
Enjoy the outdoors with your toddler this spring!
What gardening/planting activities do you do with your children?
Charlene
Tuesday 27th of March 2012
I love gardening with my son, it's so much fun! One of our favorites has been planting a strawberry tree.
Amanda c
Monday 26th of March 2012
I love this. I am big into gardening and can't wait to teach my little one all about it!