Getting the children involved in gardening is a great way to get your kids outside, and a fun way to spend time as a family. Aside from having fun, your kids will have the pleasure of watching things grow, will learn the names of different plants, and will be aware that vegetables don’t appear miraculously in the supermarket. They can also create their own special spot of beauty in the family’s lawn or garden. If you’re looking for creative ways to get your kids out in the garden, here are four fun garden projects your kids will love:

Glass Mulch In Buckets

This simple project brings a small but potent pop of color in the garden or even on the patio or porch. You’ll need an enamel bucket, masking tape, a large nail, a hammer, an oregano plant or other herb in bloom, gravel, potting mix and blue green glass mulch.

• Place the masking tape on the bottom of the bucket where you’d like to hammer in drainage holes. Use a nail and a hammer to make about six to eight holes.
• Water the plant well and let it drain. Put a layer of gravel in the bottom of the bucket, then add the potting soil. After that, add the plant.
• Pour more potting soil around the root ball and tamp it down with fingers. Then, sprinkle a layer of glass mulch around the plant.

Make a Grass Spiral

The kids will have fun creating a unique design in the backyard with this grass spiral. This is excellent for a graveled area in the garden. You’ll need at least 20 pots of a pretty blue grass like festuca glauca, 50 to 60 smooth black pebbles and a trowel.

Water the plants and let them drain. Then, starting from the center, lay out the pots of grasses in a spiral until you and your kids are happy with the design. Then plant the grasses, and arrange an echoing spiral of black pebbles inside the spiral.

A Birdcage Hanger

While this contraption might not attract any real birds, it makes a pretty planter to hang in a tree. You’ll need an old-fashioned birdcage, a shallow terracotta pot to fit in it, broken terracotta, potting mix, water retaining gel, slow release fertilizer and flowers. The best ones have a trailing habit.

• Water the plants and let them drain. Open the top of the cage and place the pot inside. Place the terracotta bits over the drain hole in the pot.
• Half-fill the pot with potting mix that’s designed for hanging baskets, then add water retaining gel followed by fertilizer.
• Then, add the plant and allow it to trail between the bars of the birdcage. Water the arrangement, replace the top of the birdcage and hang it.

Stepping Stones

Putting a new path into the backyard will not only be a fun project for the kids, but it will change up the look of the whole yard. A short path that leads from one part of the garden to the other is just the thing for a weekend project. You’ll need stepping stones, 2 bags of sand, a trowel, chalk, a shovel, a level, a hose so you can test the setup.

• First, lay out the site with the hoses and boards. Run a chalk-line along the perimeter.
• Then, spread the stones between the lines in a way that’s symmetrical but not overly so. Make sure the kids have some input into what looks best. After everyone agrees on where the stones should be put, mark their outlines with chalk.
• Remove the stones and set them aside. Then, dig out the sod in the shape of the stones. Put sand in the holes and set the stones in place. They should be just barely above the ground level. Stand on the stones to make sure they’re even, and add sand as needed. Check with a level to make sure they’re even.

These are fun ways to develop a life long passion for gardening in your kids, and a great way to keep them entertained and busy during the spring and summer months.  If you’re sick of your kids being glued to their video games, or hooked to the TV, consider using some of these fun gardening projects to get them outside and active. Information for this article was provided by an arborist in Kalamazoo that specializes in tree services.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to garden with kids.

Tags: gardening, parenting help, project, summer fun