This week's garden activities try to bring a little bit of all kinds of gardens into your life. We will be using some of nature's own treasures to make a lovely decoration for your garden, looking at making our own GIANT sunflower (my personal favorite flower of all time!) and beginning the process of making growing some small plants that we could use to start our very own garden!
I hope that these activities inspire you and your family to get outside and get creative with the many wonders that await through the world of gardening. Don't worry if you don't consider yourself a 'green thumb' or you really hate getting dirt under your fingernails - there are lots of different ways to learn about gardening and the world of plants so find what works best for you! Enjoy!
PINECONE GARDEN MOBILE
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
· sticks
· pinecones
· yarn
· beads
· scissors
HOW TO MAKE YOUR BEAD AND PINECONE GARDEN MOBILE:
1. Start with a little nature hunt in your yard. Scavenge around your yard or the forest for some nice, strong pinecone and 2-3 strong sticks. Look for sturdy sticks about the same diameter as my pointer finger. You want your sticks to be thick enough that they won’t snap easily.
2. To make the hanger for your mobile, first wrap colourful cotton yarn around your sticks, knotting it at beginning and end, and trimming off any tails of yarn. Another option is to paint your sticks now, if you would prefer!
3. Then criss-cross a couple of sticks to form an “X”, and secure them in place by winding more yarn around the sticks where they intersect.
4. Once you have your sticks secured in an “X”, tie various lengths and colours of yarn to your sticks, allowing them to dangle down below the X.
5. You want to make sure that these pieces of yarn are quite long because you’re going to use up some of that length attaching your pinecones.
6. Before attaching the pinecones to the lengths of yarn, string a few colourful beads onto the yarn. To keep the beads from sliding off, knot the yarn underneath the last bead, leaving a good tail of yarn several inches in length
7. To attach the pinecones to the sticks simply wrap the tail of yarn around the pinecone a few times, weaving it in and out, making sure the yarn was snugly trapped between the scales.
8. When all of the pinecones are attached, tie a length of yarn to the intersecting sticks, and your pinecone mobiles are ready for hanging!
GROW YOUR OWN SEEDLINGS!
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
· Cardboard egg carton
· A handful of soil for each egg carton
· Seeds
· Water
· Sun
· Patience
HOW TO PLANT YOUR SEED:
1. Add potting soil to individual egg cups in the carton.
2. Use fingers to create a hole in the center of each cup. Place one seed in each hole. Cover with soil.
3. Spray soil with water or very gently water with a small watering can or cup. Place your seedlings on a waterproof tray or plate so your table or windowsill doesn’t get damaged. Keep them in a warm light-filled location indoors until they begin to sprout.
4. Remember to water the seeds everyday. The soil should stay very moist.
5. Once the seeds have sprouted into small seedlings, you and your child can transfer them to a permanent location.
6. Make sure the egg carton is very wet and saturated before moving the seedling outdoors.
7. Dig a hole in the container or the earth that you are transferring you seedling to.
8. Place the egg carton cup directly in the soil. It will decompose. "Decompose" means to rot or break down into tiny parts and become part of the Earth.
9. Water your seedlings every day to help them grow! Ask her how does she think they will grow. You might also consider taking a photo of the seedlings on the same day every week, so your child can look back at the changes in growth.
GIANT SUNFLOWER CRAFT
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
· paper bag or large piece of paper
· a paper plate
· some black rice
· wet glue
· yellow and green paint
· a marker
· scissors
· sponge or paintbrush
HOW TO MAKE YOUR GIANT SUNFLOWER:
1. Start by tracing out a petal shape on your brown paper bag or large piece of paper.
2. Paint the stem green, and the petals + bottom of your plate yellow (use the sponge for the petals!)
3. Let it all dry!
4. Cut out your petals and stem
5. Add glue to the center of your plate (lots of glue is better so go for it!)
6. Sprinkle the rice on top of the glue – THIS WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO DRY SO
PRACTICE YOUR PATIENCE!
7. Once dried, flip your plate upside down and glue your petals (yellow side down to the bottom of your plate)
8. Glue your stem on and Voila!
