Gardening with Children

Well the school holidays are now in full swing and over the next few weeks we will be providing lots of fun ideas for activities to do with the children.  From nature spotting to baking and craft activities keep checking back for more ideas each week.  

My two girls are particularly full of energy at this time of year, and a recent trip to visit Grandma reminded me how important fresh air and exercise is for them.  During their stay, my mum had them out for a good walk each day before breakfast and by 9 am they had colour in their cheeks and a huge appetite.  So if the kids seem as if they have too much energy for the indoors sometimes don’t forget to get them outside into the garden or countryside.

Mushroom Spotting
We are fast approaching the time of year when magically overnight in certain, particular fields wonderful, ghostly white mushrooms appear. Why not arm yourself or the kids with a copy of the Fungi Name Trail?

The Fungi Guide - We have a wide selection of field guides to choose from

This guide has 16 laminated pages of illustrations, facts and information arranged in print as an identification trail.

Starting with the question, Does it have a cap? Then, Is your Fungus a cup or a bowl sitting on the ground with no stem? And going on to help you identify what you see. 

Be a real nature detective and see how you get on….  But do remember, some types of mushroom are very poisonous and if in any doubt look but don’t touch.

Find Some Wild Food
There is nothing my children like more than picking food in the countryside. During July and August it’s a great time to go Bilberry picking. Here in Lancashire there are many upland places where tucked amongst the heather you will find bilberries aplenty. And later on in September come the blackberries, for all those crumbles and jams.  And don’t forget our handy berry picker for super fast picking!  We have lots of recipe ideas, which will be arriving on the blog over the next few weeks.

Enter Our Competition
Our latest School Gardening Competition and Family Gardening Competition close on 31st July. There are some fabulous prizes to win so if you haven’t entered yet, do it today. You could be a winner!