Kids love being in the dirt and they are infinitely curious, so the garden is a great place to entertain them during the holidays.

Being in the garden gives them fresh air, exercise, interaction with nature, a chance to learn and a calming influence. it can also mean time with mum, dad or another loved adult.

Some of the activities to try in the garden are:

• plant some seeds and watch them grow – talk about how the biggest trees used to be seeds, the life cycle in general, what plants need to survive, etc
• give each child a patch of garden to call their own – they choose what to plant there and they are responsible for that patch. They love it, will be proud of their ownership and it teaches them responsibility in a gentle way
• walk around and feel the different textures. Add a challenge by blindfolding each other and leading them around or handing them samples to identify by touch alone
• map your garden
• discuss how you could redesign your garden – you don’t have to do it, but let each child make their own design
• make a possum house or bird bath/feeder and hang them in your garden, then watch the creatures that use it
• make a chart of where the sun is in your garden across the course of a day – explain how that can be useful in deciding where to put certain plants, and talk about why the sunlight moves
• use things found in the garden for some artwork – rubbings, collages, stick frames, etc
• simply get the kids to help with routine tasks, they will love the watering and harvesting bits more than weeding but all help is a benefit!
• get the kids to make a compost pile or a worm farm
• teach older kids how to mow the lawn – if you have a hand-powered mower, let the kids compete
• turn over some rocks and sticks and observe the life underneath
• look for spider webs and keep track of how long they last, if their shapres change, how many flies are caught in there and so on