Learning about flora and fauna at home is not only fun but more likely to stay in a child’s mind as he or she gets older. Happy memories like this are what we all enjoy and recall from our childhood, and who knows this could maybe be the start of a career as a budding Alan Titchmarsh, David Bellamy, or Bear Grylls!
Blooming marvellous home botanical garden!
How many flowers in your garden can your child name? A great activity is to make picture cards and draw a map of your garden. Then ask your child to plot the flowers on the map. Ensure the picture cards have the common and the Latin names for each variety and then have a flower quiz at the end.
Grow a green salad for a picnic
It’s great to include children in any family events and if you are planning a picnic over the school holidays you can get your kids involved!
Cut and come again salads can be grown all year round in post on a sunny windowsill, as can cress and some herbs. Your child can even design their very own salad and give it a name which they can proudly present at the picnic table for all to enjoy!
Make a mini fantasy garden
Do your children love fairies, unicorns, or dinosaurs? Whatever they are crazy about they can turn into a mini garden easily!
Simply grab a bucket, fill with soil and go! Pebbles and stones can be used to create hills and then this can be a base for any fantasy garden desired. Simply add toys or make them yourself from plasticine and place in situ!
For Star Wars fans you can cover soil with sand to produce Tatooine (but remember to make two cardboard suns and stick on to straws and then into soil.
For unicorn lovers, cover the soil with grass and place flowers here and there for your toy unicorn to prance through. Make a rainbow from cardboard, colour it in and again stick on a straw and place in the soil.
Let your children’s imagination run riot this summer holiday!