Millions of children will return to school across the UK this week, but Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) horticulturists warn that the end of summer holidays should not be written off.
To keep their minds healthy, while the weather is warm and bright, children should spend the evenings and weekends “weeding out” with weeds, collecting seeds, and playing with soil. I.
Activities that keep children busy outdoors
Emotional soil examination; Identifying the type of soil you have in your garden is an important first step in deciding what to plant for any gardener. Have your child wear some old clothes – and maybe a shirt – and complete this sensory test to identify the type of soil in the garden.
To make the soil feel a little like a toy dough, take a small amount of soil for your child and wet it. If you can’t make the ground into a ball or flat sausage, it’s sandy soil, and lavender and geranium are good for growing.
If they can make a ball and then flat sausage with your soil, see how often you can do it. Sausage 2.5 cm-5 cm long refers to soil-based soils that can support most plant species. If the sausage is more than 5 cm, the soil is clay-based, hard to work with, but very good for hydrangeas and viburnums.
Arrange your bulbs: Planting light bulbs A child-friendly activity gives you what to expect in early spring. Now is a good time to look for original flowers, such as daffodils and hyenas. Those with small spaces, such as a balcony or porch, can participate, says Guy Bartter, a senior gardener at RHS. “I would invest in a pot with some bulbs and some winter plants like some pancakes,” he said. I. “Then in the winter you will have a little green on your porch, and it will explode next spring.
Insect resource search; Insect hunting can be a great way to spend autumn evenings with young children, he added. “At this time of year, many shrubs and insects are just completing their life cycle, so rotating the lens around the garden is often a lucrative activity,” he said. They will be amazed at what they find. He advised against large shield bugs, sticks, and caterpillars.
Seed collections; Mission children to collect used seeds from garbage. Lettuce, spinach and Swiss chard ‘went seed’ this year – allow children to collect, dry and even design their own seed packages to give or sell to friends and family. They may also want to cut down on common plants such as ivy and geranium to grow their own stockpile, Mr. Bartter pointed out.
Build a small worm; Teach your child why worms are amazing for the soil by helping them build small bugs: All you need is a two-liter plastic bottle, a pair of scissors and, of course, some worms! Cut the top quarter off the bottle to make a lid, then fill the bottom with layers of soil, sand and fertilizer. Pick up a few worms from the garden and spread some “food” on the peel and dead leaves. Remember to cover the bottle when children are not looking at worms.
Sowing a few salad seeds; If you are not able to grow fruits and vegetables this summer, there is still time for your children to have their own indoor harvest festival. Buy some fast-growing lettuce seeds and have children put them in some fertilizer. A fresh salad can be ready in three weeks.
Scientific studies have shown that playing and learning outdoors improves children’s well-being, and the charity says it helps to inspire love for nature.
There is evidence that children enjoy significant mental and physical benefits by spending time outdoors.
In Finland, researchers have been able to improve the immune system of urban children who play in the jungle.
Spending time in the green, such as walking in the park, has been shown to be beneficial for children’s mental development.
RHS horticulturist Guy Bartter believes that gardening offers additional benefits because it is a “hand-held activity” that can give children a sense of control around the world.
“It’s a representation in the garden, you can do something, you are in charge,” he said.
RHS is concerned that children will miss out on this crucial outdoor time and its benefits when it is time. “Now that children are back in school and not on holidays and their parents don’t have much time to take place on weekends or weekends, then there is a lack of outside experience for most children,” said Mr. Bartter added.
He urged parents to spend as much time outdoors with their children as the nights are still warm and easy.
“There is strong evidence that children are involved in outdoor activities and the natural world, and we think this is the right time of year to do that,” he said.
When nights come in November and December, things are much easier to do.