School closures = Home education...

Csbartlett84

Hi All, As the schools are now closed and I am working from home now and trying to home school my 5yr old I am wanting to get her out in the garden as much as possible. 
We have invested in a small greenhouse so any tips or advice on what we could try growing in there would be great and also any ideas on tasks she could help with or things we can plant etc would be great. 

I am sure there are many others in the same situation so perhaps we could all help each other out with ideas and activites our little ones have enjoyed? 

Thanks in advance

fidgetbones

Planting some broad beans in individual pots would be good, hard to go wrong. While you are at it,  we did the broad bean in blotting paper in a jar at school. You could do that with a jam jar, and the bean between the glass and  wet kitchen roll (always assuming you can get it) Then you can show how it produces a shoot and a root.

If you can get a tomato plant that produces the cherry types, little ones love them, most of my mums grandchildren have all had a plant in a bucket sized pot, and enjoyed eating the fruit.

Many aquariums in USA are closed but have live web cams  which could be entertaining.

The Book People have a good range of books suitable for youngsters , and flash cards  etc for learning.

https://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=98725&catalogId=10051

AnniD

If she likes cucumber you could try something like "mini munch" which is good in pots
https://www.simplyseed.co.uk/cucumber-seeds/cucumber-mini-munch.html
Also mixed salad leaves are colourful and easy to grow. 

bullfinch

When my children were little we planted sunflowers and nasturtiums, they are fairly straightforward. Have fun - gardening is a lovely thing to do together, and even now they want to come out and do things. My eldest has just started working in Germany, and he's bought a camellias and a bee-hotel for his balcony!

Dovefromabove

Nasturtiums are a great plant to start off with. Large seeds so easy to handle ... the grow quickly and without a lot of attention, the leaves flowers and seeds are edible ... no danger if eaten and possibility of child earning pocket money by selling leaves and flowers to parent for salads, and if the cabbage white butterflies find them ... well, lessons on caterpillars, pupae and butterflies are being demonstrated in front of you. 

@wonkywomble started off with nasturtiums (see photo) and she gardens for a living now 😊 👍 

Csbartlett84

Thank you all some great idea's. We are both really excited to get out there and give it a go. I love gardening (Although not very good yet) and I would love if she shared my interest! xx

pansyface

I’ve heard of child prodigies, but five years old is pushing it a bit for graduation.

rachelQrtJHBjb

My three year old is gardening mad. At this time of year he likes planting bulbs and you could start her off with potting some up to give as Christmas gifts. There may be some "prepared" hyacinth bulbs in your local garden centre and these are suitable to indoor growing. Even just a pot of crocus would cheer any recipient and they can plant them in the garden after flowering.

This summer, we received a packet of linaria seeds with a magazine. He literally went outside, raked the soil, told me he had sowed them, raked again and watered. I only saw the end result that was scratched soil. Lo and behold, up they came and they are now in flower. Calendula are good to start with as the seeds are easy to handle.

We've just started constructing a bug hotel out of stacked pallets so you could do the same or construct any kind of bug abode on a much smaller scale. 

The RHS have their Campaign for School Gardening and this link may give you some ideas.https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/resources

Finally, I bought Kent and Stow child's hand fork and trowel, which are stainless steel, as they do not bend like so many of the hand tools supposedly aimed at children.

WonkyWomble

That takes me back @Dovefromabove! About 39 years ago I think!!!! But set me on the path to a career i love and has had an influence on my entire way of life!
Other good garden orientated activities include making bird feeders and food.  This time of year is essential to help our garden friends! Making fat balls etc is a fantastic way of educating children about nature,  the environment,  migration  etc. A wildlife pond is another element of a garden that is very educational for children.  
Best of luck,  I hope you find ways of keeping your children engaged and informed.  Spring time is easy as seed sowing is a great way to get them started but for the winter there are other things to get involved with such as making festive wreaths from holy and ivy. 
I found I had a much fun as the kids when i got involved in such things!

Csbartlett84

Thank you I love these ideas especially creating gifts for others and natural decorations etc. We are still loving being outdoors and the garden is looking rather good after so many months of attention 🤣

sarinka

That photo is adorable