This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro Gro-ables for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Winter is almost over thank goodness, and I cannot wait to get outside and in the dirt. It’s not that I actually know anything about gardening; I just like to be outside and it feels good the get dirty. I like to shovel it, make mud with it, plant in it, throw it – whatever really! I guess it reminds me of being a kid and running free outdoors all day long, and it brings back such wonderful memories.
I love the stuff, and I want my kids to love it too. With all the shiny technology that seems to dominate our lives I want them to have an appreciation for being active and for nature and to be able to do and make things with their own hands instead of having to rely on everyone else. It is time they get outside with me and get dirty too.
Spring Outdoor Activities for Kids
I love coming up with fun, educational, easy activities to do with my kids outside. Having fun does not have to come with a high price tag! Here are four springtime activities I love to do with my kids in the springtime that involve dirt and are low cost! 🙂
1) Start a Rock Collection
Rocks from all over the world! Or just from all over town. This one leads to a lot of places like the park, river or beach, and it can be done at home or on vacation.
If you’re a 3 year old boy, even the concrete from any parking lot is a treasure. I’m for real with that one – I accidentally threw away one such “treasure” when I mistook it for junk, and I got to see the largest slow-moving tears and quivering bottom lip in my entire life! Of course, I had to fish it out of there – and 7 years later – that piece of gold is still in his room in his collection. In fact, all of the rocks he’s ever collected are in there, so I know this tradition is a keeper for sure.
2) Decorate Your Yard
I like using nature things from around the neighborhood. In our area, the hardest part about this is all the stuff we find in the woods is either covered in poison oak or IS poison oak. We try our best to avoid the poison oak and gather materials from nature to make things like wreaths and birdhouses and rock gardens.
One day I imagine we’ll make get big ideas and try to make a koi pond or fence, but while my kids are still young I’ll stick to things with minimal engineering. This is one project that will never ever end since there are dozens of holidays through the warm and cold months that keep the demand for yard decorations high.
3) Transplant Flowers from Nature
This one I used to do with my grandma. She always kept a shovel, blanket and bucket in the trunk of her car. No lie. When she would see a flower or small tree she liked on the side of the road she would stop and dig it up for her home. Times were different back then, and I don’t advocate digging up your neighbors plants, but this is still a legitimate option.
I live removed from the city, so I can get away with knocking on a door and asking someone if I can have one of the many flowers or bushes growing in the field near their house. I wouldn’t dream of asking if it seemed intentional or landscaped, but there are tons of plants growing wild that are easy to move, and I know would love to be in my yard. 🙂
4) Plant a Garden
More than I love dirt, I love saving money! Growing our own plants lets us have family time outdoors and have fresh food throughout the season. Win-win. The only problem I have with this one is I don’t have a green thumb. I need something simple that the both kids can help with so I’ve gone with Miracle-Gro Gro-ables this year. There are 18 different plants to choose from. They’re a neat little package with seeds, potting mix and plant food in a convenient pod. Just press the pod into dirt and water it.
Seriously. Even my 3-year-old was able to plant them.
I’m setting up a watering schedule to relay the responsibility evenly between us all so the kids can get more into the process. I don’t know whether I’m excited more for the herbs or the tomatoes, and the kids are anxious to see the first sprouts. We planted several varieties yesterday. In a large pot, we put a roma tomato plant with a sweet basil at the front (I like to pair them together this way).
And in two separate small pots we planted more basil and some cilantro.
It was quite the adventure getting this guy to cooperate for a couple of photo ops. We had a lot of fun! Do you have any tips for growing plants with children?
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