Are Easter baskets or spring baskets a tradition for you? Some parents celebrate Spring Equinox, or the first day of spring (around March 20-22) with a basket of garden goodies to enjoy together. Spring break or Easter week is a great time to do the same. As a kid I used to search for my Easter basket inside the house with a fun “warmer/colder” type hunt. It would hold some of the usual trappings like candy eggs, but to be honest I most looked forward to the flower seed packets and other “gardeny stuff” my mom always included!
If you’re looking to steer away from the typical plastic and candy-filled easter baskets, here are some ideas to get you started! I’ll keep adding more as I think of them, let me know if I missed any ideas you love!
Creative Mini Garden Kits for Kids / Fairy Gardens
Somehow I hadn’t thought of these until my 6-year-old twins were given some little colored-sand chia gardens as a gift, and they absolutely loved decorating the containers and waiting for the seeds to grow. What could be better than an art project and a science project all in one? Then I remembered a time we did a little “make your own garden” activity for my older son’s birthday party. That one was very simple, just paper pots and stickers and some of my favorite easy to grow kid friendly seeds, but it was still a big hit with the kids. Use it as an excuse to start seeds together!
Kids Gardening Tools
Kid sized tools are an obvious choice for littles who enjoy playing or helping in the garden!
Garden Themed Sensory Bin or Montessori Toys
Sensory bins are a great developmental activity for small children. In my opinion, the garden itself is a great sensory activity, but little kits like this are pretty cute too, and great for indoor play if the weather isn’t so welcoming yet!
DIY Garden Decor for all ages
Best Spring Garden Seeds for Kids
Will your kiddo love flower seeds or veggie seeds, or a mix of both? Here are some of my favorite seeds for kids that are relatively easy to grow as well as fun. Don’t forget to check your local garden store for little 6 packs of flowers too!
Alyssum
The seeds of this “popcorn flower” are insanely tiny, but alyssum are a very easy border plant (even easier if you buy a 6 pack of the plants). They are pretty drought tolerant and will reseed themselves year after year even if you pull them out and start over.
Zinnias
Fun and easy to grow, with so many colors, butterflies love them too! You can cut zinnias for bouquets and expect more to grow back.
Sunflowers
Sunflowers are easy, large, and fun to watch grow. Plus they come in several different colors and birds and bees love them!
Morning Glories
Always one of my favorites, morning glories come in several colors and grow quickly on a fence to make a pretty layer of flowering vines.
Peas or Green Beans
Peas are a favorite snack for kids since they are much sweeter fresh from the garden! My kids love snacking on beans too and they are both easy to grow.
Kids Bible or Storybook
We celebrate the story and power of Jesus at Easter most of all, so we are getting our kids their own Bibles this year. At 6 and 9 they are at good ages to start checking it out on their own as they get more comfortable with reading. These are a few that we personally own and like. “The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross” is a story, and “Jesus Storybook” is a lovely children’s Bible-based storybook that ties each story to the love of Jesus more clearly than many do.
Spring & Gardening Books for Kids
Want to teach your children more about gardening, growing, and where their food comes from? Here are some useful books I have enjoyed, suitable for a variety of ages.
Tap the Magic Tree
This book immediately caught my eye–I have to love almost any book that uses the term “magic” to describe what happens in the garden. It may be biology, but it really is magical too (a wonderful work of God, if you ask me). This interactive book follows an apple tree from winter, through spring and summer (with leaves, blossoms, then fruit) then to fall, and winter, and–well, I won’t spoil the ending just yet.
It was written for younger children ages 4-8, but I’ll admit the final page gave me excited chills (I’m a plant nerd, what can I say?)! The board book version would be great for toddlers as well, even if just for the simple, beautiful illustrations of the seasons.
My favorite page and spoiler alert below.
So you want to grow a…?
I love this fun “farm-to-table” book idea! The books begin with a brief vision of where each part of the food comes from, then scales down to the parts of the food you can grow yourself! They each also end with a recipe–for pizza sauce, a salad, tacos, etc. The “Grow a Salad” book has some good information and a little tutorial on how to plant a garden that could really even be followed by adults who are new to gardening.
Sure, perhaps they oversimplify gardening just a LITTLE (I’d like to see some gophers, rabbits, or insect pests in there–just kidding). But with patience (and maybe a little more knowledge about how to make great garden soil) the basics are definitely there for a simple, successful harvest. Even if the plants aren’t perfect the first time, the book provides a great foundation or starting point for a full understanding of how gardening works!
Marked for ages 4-8. If you are not ready to explain to your child where meat comes from, you may want to avoid the taco and pizza books.
Grow It Cook It
Not to be confused with others by similar titles, this one is a bit more in depth and would be suitable for older children and youth (though younger ones may still enjoy the pictures). Really though, adults who appreciate creative garden ideas, recipes, and simple explanations of garden concepts would also enjoy this book.
I love that it not only gives some brief explanations of photosynthesis, pollination, composting, and tips on growing different vegetable plants, but also contains more than two dozen recipes for kids (and grown ups) to try. It even gives a glossary of kitchen terms (simmer, knead, fry, whisk, etc).
What a great way to encourage readers of all ages to eat more vegetables! I will have to try some of the recipes and let you know how they turn out.
Watch it Grow: Pumpkin
I found this book at my local library. Simple but informative, and I love the clear, detailed pictures of each stage of plant growth. Good one for fall and Halloween pumpkin carving!
