More Ideas for a Garden Themed MOMS Camp

When you include flowers, fruits, and vegetables in your gardening week of MOMS Camp, the possibilities are endless. There are so many great ideas to get your child learning, playing, and sharing special moments with you. Here are some more ideas for you and your child, continued from week one of "How Does Your Garden Grow?":

Plant A Flower Garden

Head out to your local nursery, or a store that sells plants and flowers such as Home Depot or Wal-Mart for a fun outing. Let your child participate in choosing flowers, making sure you only agree to ones that will work for your yard, paying attention to sunlight requirements. It would be disappointing for your child if their plant didn't grow as expected once they got it home. Annuals are less expensive but they won't come back year after year which could be exciting for your child next year to see it pop up. Of course, if you choose annuals it means you'll have fun planting more flowers next year! I recommend petunias, vinca or impatiens, which are all hardy annuals. Spend some quality time outdoors planting your new flowers for immediate results as opposed to waiting for seeds.

Clear Cup Planter

Go out for a walk where you can explore different kinds of seeds. Many plants have seeds that your child will enjoy searching for and spreading, such as dandelions, cottonwood trees, and maple trees. Maple trees have a seed that falls like a helicopter and is easy to take apart so you can uncover the seed inside. Take these seeds home and plant them in a clear plastic cup lined with paper towels for a fun visual of the roots as a little trees grow tall within days. Simply slide the seeds down the side of the cup, between the cup and paper towels, so you can see the seed clearly as it sprouts.

Plant Pals

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/plant-pals-672473/

This is a really fun project to do with your preschooler. The grass seeds sprout fairly quickly, and throughout the summer you can give them haircuts! If you make more than one, this is a good opportunity to talk about emotions and make each Plant Pal with a different facial expression.

Tissue Paper Flowers

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/giant-tissue-paper-flowers-667712/

With this craft, you can create an indoor garden during quiet time or on a rainy day. These also make great gifts, or even smaller versions can be used as gift wrap bows.

Thumb Print Flowers

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/thumbprint-garden-t-shirt-667721/

This project would definitely be fun as a t-shirt, but you can also use the thumb print idea to paint any number of projects. Try creating small note cards your child can use throughout the year as thank you notes. If you don't want to brave the mess of paint, you can make the thumb prints with washable markers for easy clean-up.

Hand Print Lilies

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/handprint-lilies-675224/

Make a whole bouquet of these cute flowers to use as decoration or as a gift.

Always utilize your local library for free books and movies. Here are some great books to check out for your garden-themed week: A Garden Alphabet by Isabel Wilner, Good Night Garden Gnome by Jamichael Henterly, and Princess Chamomile's Garden by Hiawyn Oram. A Garden Alphabet is a wonderful review of upper- and lower-case letters, as well as a fairly thorough look at the gardening process, with beautiful illustrations. The planned garden in Princess Chamomile's garden is a little out of reach for most, but it is fun to explore the different uses of a garden.

Learning about the life cycle of a seed is a wonderful science lesson for preschoolers. It is also a lesson in patience and consistency when your child must daily water the seedling and wait for it to grow. Fill up that time with these fun projects and lessons so that even waiting moments can be special ones.

For more ideas, please view Part 1 of "How Does Your Garden Grow?" here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8112067/craft_and_activities_for_a_garden_themed.html?cat=25

Sources:

www.familyfun.com