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School holiday project: How to get kids in the garden

Gardening editor Lee Ann Bramwell reveals her tips to keep children entertained in the garden these school holidays.

While the weather might be a bit chilly, the school holidays are still a great time to get kids outside and helping in the garden.

NZ Woman’s Weekly gardening editor Lee Ann Bramwell jokes that although kids often don’t naturally make the best gardeners, clever parents can fool them into becoming green-thumbed stars.

“I’m a big kid and I have a really short attention span, so I’m actually quite good at dreaming this stuff up,” she says.

Tips to get the kids having fun in the garden

  • Make sure your projects have an end in sight.

Most children are more likely to stick with a task if it can be done in a short amount of time. So whatever project you dream up, make it manageable and children will see it through to the end – rather than abandoning it half-way through!

  • Have all the equipment and tools you need.

By planning ahead, and avoiding “annoying” trips to the garden centre, children are less likely to be distracted from achieving their goal.

  • Make the task something creative – and most of all, fun!

Rather than trying to convince them to dig compost or weed the flowerbed, why not make miniature gardens?

Watch Leigh on The Cafe, where she describes how to create child-size gardens the whole family can enjoy.

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