Index of Activities

Designing a Kids' Garden
When it comes to making a kids-only garden, half the fun is in the designing. Here's where your backyard reflects your family's own style, your garden's conditions, and your region's climate. >>more

Making Seed Tapes
Seed tapes are simply seeds fastened to a thin biodegradable paper with a glue that dissolves easily. They are fun to make, and they provide a handy way for kids to plant their seeds the appropriate distance apart. >>more

Growing an Edible Flower and Herb Planter
One reason kids love the garden is that different rules apply there: you're allowed to get dirty, touch things, and even eat the flowers! Herbs and edible blooms fit well into this plan, releasing their appetizing and alluring aromas when handled. >>more

Welcoming Plant Pollinators
National Pollinator Week is June 24-30, 2007
Creating a garden that provides a haven for pollinators engages kids and makes a difference for bees, moths, butterflies — even bats and hummingbirds — many of which are struggling due to habitat loss. >>more

Cultivating Container Gardens
Limited by space or time? Try growing container gardens. All you need are containers, potting mix, fertilizer and plants. >>more

Healthy Snacking
Snacks don't have to be fat- and sugar-laden treats. Here are some suggestions for nutritious snacks that kids can prepare. >>more

Making a Flower Press
Kids can preserve their favorite flowers by pressing them and using the flowers in artwork or handmade cards. >>more

Making Field Journals
As ever-changing environments, gardens and habitats naturally spark curiosity. What better place to record observations and reflections than in a homemade field journal. >>more

Taking Great Garden Photos
Outdoor gardens serve up a visual feast of colors, forms, and phenomena. Inspired to try to capture the beauty and lush life of plants and their animate visitors, humans have long gazed at gardens, cameras in hand. >>more

Decoupage a Clay Pot
Seed catalogs and seed packets are the source of more than seeds for your garden; they contain wonderful photographs that can transform plain clay pots into beautiful containers. >>more

Making a Worm Bin
Most kids love to dig in the dirt, where they naturally uncover earthworms. These squirmy creatures pique kids' curiosity, and they can help keep many a child occupied while adults busy themselves with garden chores. >>more

Dyeing with Plants
Natural dyes from plants have been used throughout history for decorating animal skins, fabrics, crafts, hair, and bodies. Kids love to color their world, and they need look no further than a family garden, a patch of weeds, their school grounds, and local grocery stores to find enough plants to yield a rainbow of colors. >>more

Making Plant People
A fun and simple project for kids of all ages: Making plant people from old pantyhose, a little bit of soil, and some grass seed. >>more