In recent months I have been preparing to move house and much of my time every day has been occupied by the process. A week ago the big move took place and the mammoth task of unpacking has begun.

Tags: culture, gardening, nature, outdoor activities

A taste of spring

Spring officially begins on 1st of September and that is just a few days away. It is also the beginning of Early Education Week, so a time to celebrate the importance of our young children and look at the many opportunities that we all have to help them grow and learn.

Tags: education, gardening, nature, spring

Kids can take interesting photos

Even four-year-olds can take interesting photos and as the seasons change and autumn is a great time to let the kids experiment.

Tags: climate, environment, gardening, nature, outdoor activities

jobs had to be put on hold when I hurt my shoulder helping to net the plum

trees.

Tags: gardening, outdoor activities

With the end of the year coming there are many different kinds of activities that children will enjoy and be excited about. There may be school concerts or ballet concerts just around the corner and school trips for entertainment or sport. This week my granddaughter will go to a concert at another school and later on there will be trips to the town pool and to Kids’ World. It is wonderful that school can be so much fun. For some children, though, providing lots of entertainment makes children lazy at making their own fun. Be sure to encourage creativity by seeing that your family has time to relax and time to follow creative ideas both inside and outdoors. .

Once the hard physical work is done, gardening can help us all to be relaxed and peaceful. Create some quiet places for reading, drawing or painting, thinking and observing nature. Your children might like to decorate a place in the garden just for themselves. You can create a surprise box of natural things to put in that place. If you observe what your child does, you can follow up by providing something more, for example a magnifying glass, or a packet of seeds, or a camera.

Animals in the garden can also help us to be quiet and peaceful. I’m not thinking about the boisterous family dog fetching balls and barking, but rather the family cat who likes company while rolling on the path or dozing in the sun. Birds that come into the garden uninvited do a service by eating insects and can delight us with their burbling and singing. A short silence does wonders for bird-life. Then there many are insects to fascinate us. I heard an interesting radio talk about ants this morning. Did you know that ants are very important as planters of tree and plant seeds? I enjoy watching some ants that climb enormous trees where I often wait for the school bus. I wonder what they say to each other as they briefly meet as some climb up and others down the trunk. These climbers are not carrying anything but are intent on their daily business.

Tags: gardening, nature, outdoor activities

Here is a book about gardening with children that I downloaded from the internet and it is an interesting read.

Tags: gardening

We are into the last month of winter and it has been much warmer than usual with few big frosts...

Tags: gardening

Most small kids love getting dirty and parents don't usually mind if the kids are wearing suitable clothing, especially if useful jobs are done. I've been listening to some catchy songs from the TV series of Dirtgirl which is a program that helps kids learn about the environment and encourages them to go outdoors for all kinds of activities.

Tags: gardening