Growing in the Garden with Back to the Garden Childcare in Broadheath, Altrincham
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Spring is the time of new growth, buzzing bees and sprouting seeds. It is the ideal time for getting our little ones out into the garden and letting them stretch their green fingers. Back to the Garden Childcare have put together our top tips for encouraging children of all ages to get involved with all things green!
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1 Start from seeds
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Seeds are magical; they contain life. Start a few in a tray indoors on their bedroom windowsill and teach your child to tend to sprouting seeds, pot them on to bigger pots as they grow and eventually plant them out in the garden!
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Choose seeds that are big enough for little fingers to handle and will give a reward at the end of the summer that your children love to eat. Try tomatoes, pumpkins, beans, peas, sweetcorn, potatoes or sunflowers.
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There’s nothing that shows a child (or anyone!) how wonderful gardening is better than eating something they planted themselves.
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2 Plant for their senses
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When growing a garden with children choose plants for their taste, smell, feel and sound as well as how they look. We understand the importance sensory activities have on children’s learning and development; our day nursery in Altrincham has the space and facilities to include sensory play.
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Grow pots of different smelling herbs by the back door or on your kitchen windowsill and involve your children in picking sprigs for cooking. Fill low hanging baskets with tumbling strawberries and cherry tomatoes, that are perfect for harvesting with little fingers, and show them how flowers become fruit at their eye level (as well as how wonderful a tomato stem smells!). Plant grasses and lavender to catch the wind and feed the bees.
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3 Get close
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Let your little ones feel the soil between their fingers, run their hands through plants and bury their noises in the leaves and flowers to soak up the garden. Sit with them on the grass and watch bees alighting on flowers and caterpillars crawling down stems. Show them the details of the garden and the creatures that live in it…and teach them that they are part of something greater (or smaller!) than themselves.
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4 Give them space
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Even in a small garden or courtyard, try and find a corner or pot that can be your child’s area, where they can grow and tend their own plants. Keep it small and make sure it is in the middle of the action, so they feel involved. Make it clear to them that the plants in their garden are theirs to water, weed and look after…though you will always help when they need you to!
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5 Eat the fruits of their labours
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Show your children the food cycle by picking, cooking and eating the vegetables, fruit and herbs they grew from seeds…with their help of course! At Back to the Garden childcare, we include nutrition in our curriculum so that the children understand where their food comes from and how the seasons play a part in the food we grow and eat.
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Cook a yummy family favourite such as pizza, topped with their home-grown tomatoes and basil, mash their potatoes to top a fish pie or make a crumble with the berries that managed to make it into the kitchen without being munched…and make sure everyone at the table knows who grew it all!
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Are you currently looking for childcare in Altrincham? Our natural nursery in Broadheath is taking new registrations, as well as bookings for show-arounds.
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Get in touch with us, to enquire about spaces at our day nursery in Broadheath, today or to simply find out more about our childcare.
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