by British Garden Centres
With half term just around the corner, British Garden Centres is calling on families to swap screens for soil and get growing this National Children’s Gardening Week (23 to 31 May)
As one of the UK’s leading garden retailers, British Garden Centres knows better than most that getting children into the garden early makes a real difference. Gardening builds patience, sparks curiosity, and gives children a sense of pride that’s hard to match. Whether you’ve got a big back garden or a kitchen windowsill, there’s something every family can do during the week to mark the occasion, and we’ve got some great activities to try.
Build an insect hotel: Discover the big world of small creatures this week by building a habitat for your garden’s most helpful insects. With just a few handfuls of straw, bark, and bamboo, you and your little ones can construct a thriving home for lacewings, beetles, bugs and bees. It’s a wonderful way for families to connect with nature, offering a hands-on lesson in biodiversity that transforms a simple afternoon project into a lifelong love for the environment.
Grow your own food: You don’t need a green thumb or months of patience to start a family veg patch. Speedy crops like cress, lettuce, and radishes offer almost instant rewards, making them perfect for curious kids. By inviting children to grow the ingredients for their own meals, parents can bridge the gap between the garden and the dinner table, as kids are more likely to try something they’ve nurtured themselves from a tiny seed.
Make a seed bomb: Transform your garden with a simple seed bomb. All you need is clay, compost, and wildflower seed. It’s a messy, hands-on craft that ends with a literal bang. Parents and kids can throw their creations into any bare ground and watch as they sprout into colourful havens for bees and butterflies.
Pot painting: Let children channel their inner Picasso and paint their own terracotta pot before filling it with herbs, strawberries, or whatever takes their fancy. It gives them something to care for that’s entirely theirs.
Plant a sensory garden: Transform a small corner of your plot into a sensory wonderland this week. By choosing plants like fragrant lavender, fuzzy lamb’s ear, and edible mint, you can create an interactive outdoor space that sparks imagination. It’s a wonderful way to show children that a garden is more than just plants; it’s a living, breathing experience that engages the ears, the nose, and the taste buds.
Make your own wormery or compost heap: All you need is a simple bin, a few hungry worms and some kitchen scraps to turn into high-quality compost. It’s a fascinating, slightly squirmy way to teach kids about the circle of life and show them exactly how nature recycles itself. Who knew kitchen waste could be so interesting?
