Gardens & Projects for Kids Archives

Want a little inspiration for Kid’s Garden ideas? The Gardens & Projects for Kids series of articles provide you with pictures, ideas, projects and fun themes to get kids outdoors, growing their own food and connecting with nature.

DIY Upcycled Broken Pot Ideas

What do you do with a Broken Pot?

I don’t know how these accidents happen, but I’m left to pick up the pieces (literally). I’m ‘shattered’ by the number of broken pots around this place! I hope my dilemma and discoveries will help inspire what you too can do with broken pots.

To put you in the picture, there have been multiple casualties here lately. I’m not talking about my bruised hubby falling off the ladder – his ego not his body! … No, these accidents have happened to my precious pot collections.

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Anne Gibson2018-04-19T11:48:30+10:00Categories: Gardens & Projects for Kids, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Repurposed Planters|Tags: Cachepot, Container gardening, DIY, Drainage, Frugal gardening, Micro gardening, Miniature gardens, Pots & containers, Problem Solving, repurposed planters, Upcycling|12 Comments

Easy Guide to Growing Microgreens

Second only to sprouts, microgreens are the quickest food crop we urban gardeners can grow! If you have limited time, space or gardening skills let me introduce you to growing microgreens. You can learn how to grow microgreens – tasty, nutrient-dense ‘fast food’ – in just a few easy steps.

What are Microgreens?

With sprouts, you eat the fully germinated seed. I think of sprouts as the ‘babies’ of the plant world. A seed that bursts open with the first root and shoot(s). Whereas sprouts are seeds that germinate by being soaked and rinsed in water, microgreens are grown in seed raising media. Their roots have direct contact with a growing medium and they photosynthesize with the aid of grow lights or sunlight after germination, producing chlorophyll.

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Anne Gibson2023-02-01T06:23:52+10:00Categories: Gardens & Projects for Kids, Grow Your Own Food, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Indoor Gardens, Recipes, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: grow your own food, how to grow, Micro gardening, microgreens, Safe seeds, Seed germination, Seed raising mix, seedlings, sprouts|56 Comments

10 Creative Space and Resource Saving Garden Ideas

I’m always looking for inspiring, low-cost and resourceful ideas for the garden – here are some of my favourite projects for you to try.

1. Peg Plant Marker – This is an easy improvised solution using everyday materials. Kids can paint the pegs and make them colourful and if you save seeds from your edible gardens like I do, this makes plant identification a snack!

Dill peg plant marker. Photo: Stacey Shitani

Always scratching around to find a plant marker? MYO in seconds with a bamboo skewer, wooden peg and a permanent marker! How easy is this?

2. Tiered Terracotta Planter – I love this project from Amy at Positively Splendid because it’s a simple design idea to dress up your garden entrance. (more…)

Anne Gibson2022-11-25T11:54:38+10:00Categories: Gardens & Projects for Kids, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Repurposed Planters, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Frugal gardening, gardens for kids, Plant markers, Pots & containers, repurposed planters, Vertical gardens|9 Comments

Want to Grow a Herb Tea Garden?

With so many culinary and medicinal health benefits, a herb tea garden is a must for every gardener. Even if you just have a balcony or tiny space, herbs have so many uses.

Grow your own herb tea garden – easy herbs to grow, brew and use for health

Easy Herb Teas to Grow and Brew

If you’re not already growing your own herb garden, hopefully you’ll be inspired to start! There are a wide range of delicious and aromatic herbs you can grow for hot or iced herb teas and medicinal use.

Pick sprigs of fresh mint for herb tea

Getting Started with Herb Teas

Chamomile (German) Tea

A mild flavoured relaxing tea that I’ve used hundreds of times over the years. Helps to calm and soothe the spirit, settle stomach aches and indigestion and is a great tea for helping you relax, destress and get to sleep. It goes well with a little honey and a slice of lemon. You can also use the tea as a hot foot bath for tired or sore feet! (more…)

Anne Gibson2021-03-29T14:37:45+10:00Categories: Garden Themes, Gardens & Projects for Kids, Grow Your Own Food, Herb Gardens, How to Grow, Vegetables & Herbs|Tags: garden themes, gardens for kids, grow your own food, herb tea, Herbs, vegetable & herb gardens|6 Comments

‘Jack & the Bean Stalk’ Theme Garden

Love beans? If you want to encourage children to start growing ‘incredible edibles,’ then this might be just the project to get them excited! I’m sure you’ll also enjoy growing beans this way for yourself.

With a little creative thinking, themed gardens help children learn while they are having fun. Here’s a cool garden project for the ‘kid’ in all of us – complete with Beans, Beanstalk and even a Giant! Plus lots of quick tips for growing beans.

A child's vegie garden can start in any space they can call their own - it might be a corner of your garden, a container or even a self-seal bag with moist cotton wool to start seeds on! | The Micro Gardener

Encourage children to grow a micro garden in a pot or container to get started. They don’t need much space – beans are so easy to grow. When young, tender and homegrown organically, try stopping children from snacking on beans straight from the garden!

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create.” – Albert Einstein

How to Create Your ‘Jack and the Bean Stalk & Giant’ Garden

There are 3 elements to this garden theme – the bean seeds; the vertical beanstalk structure they need to climb up on like Jack did, and the ‘Giant.’ (more…)

Anne Gibson2018-04-19T14:43:43+10:00Categories: Garden Themes, Gardens & Projects for Kids, How to Grow|Tags: Beans, garden themes, gardens for kids, grow your own food, Growing food, small garden design ideas, Tepee|4 Comments

DIY Bamboo Tepee Vertical Garden

One of the most useful structures in my garden are bamboo tepees. They are the perfect vertical garden solution for growing more in less space. Here’s my simple system for making a 3 or 4 legged tepee from bamboo stakes in about a minute for around a $1!

My snow peas are currently growing on a homemade bamboo tepee in a pot.

I have countless tepees in my garden growing seasonal edible climbing crops. These snow peas are flowering and fruiting and their tendrils love the vertical stakes to grab hold of.

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Anne Gibson2019-03-07T14:31:37+10:00Categories: Garden Maintenance, Planning & Design, Gardens & Projects for Kids, How To DIY Projects & Recipes, Vertical Gardens|Tags: Tepee, Vertical gardens|17 Comments

Gardens for Kids – Design Ideas & Themes

“Gardening has a magical quality when you are a child.”- Barbara Damrosch

Inspirational Themed Gardens

A garden is Nature’s Classroom. If you have children, grandchildren, visitors or are homeschooling, this article will give you some ideas and inspiration for designing your space with little ones in mind.

You can include a wide range of learning experiences. There are loads of creative ways to encourage kids to start small or think BIG!

Growing plants and being in contact with nature is a therapy in itself. Now more than ever, we need to spend time connecting with the outdoors and plants for our mental and physical wellbeing. Not only adults, but especially children. They often don’t express the stress and anxiety they feel, so a garden can be a quiet space to calm and centre them emotionally.

“Many studies both in Australia and overseas in school gardens have found students who grow organic fresh produce not only increase their consumption of vegetables at home but also improve their ability to identify new fruits, herbs and vegetables and develop knowledge of how to grow them.”

What a great gift we can give to children! I hope you enjoy some of the ideas I’ve put together from my experiences.

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Anne Gibson2021-07-18T12:24:48+10:00Categories: Clever Design Ideas, Garden Themes, Gardens & Projects for Kids|Tags: garden themes, gardens for kids, grow your own food, small garden design ideas, vegetable & herb gardens|12 Comments

Gardens for Kids

Gardens help children connect with nature, their environment and most importantly, the source of their food. Gardens are places for kids to learn new skills, build their confidence, have fun, learn to take care of plants and build respect for their environment as well as improve their health.

“In an age of instant gratification, a garden is one of the few places children can learn patience and delayed gratification by watching and waiting for rewards.” – Anne Gibson

One of my passions is showing children how to grow their own food and have fun gardening.

Having fun as the Veggie Doctor with Prep year students planning out their new sensory garden

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Anne Gibson2018-04-19T19:05:50+10:00Categories: Gardens & Projects for Kids|Tags: gardens for kids, Pots & containers, sprouts|11 Comments

What do you do with a Broken Pot?

What are Microgreens?

10 Creative Space and Resource Saving Garden Ideas

Want to Grow a Herb Tea Garden?

Easy Herb Teas to Grow and Brew

Getting Started with Herb Teas

Chamomile (German) Tea

How to Create Your ‘Jack and the Bean Stalk & Giant’ Garden

DIY Bamboo Tepee Vertical Garden

Inspirational Themed Gardens

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