I love days out when you are never quite sure what to expect. When you explore, discover and experience things in different ways and for the first time. Our recent day out at Kingston Lacy near Wimbourne in Dorset ticked all of these boxes. We went in search of bugs and all things buglike, but […]
Countryside Skills Day
Thank you Dorset Coppice Group for holding such a wonderful open day and for letting us find out about some of those really important countryside skills. From the location, a beautiful wood used to practise those coppicing skills, through the range of crafts on display to the knowledge and willingness to talk about […]
Sowing Those Beans
Time to sow. I run a children’s gardening website, but strangely enough I rarely get around to writing a blog post about the sowing and growing process. Absurd really as it is the essence of gardening. As a family we grow quite a few vegetables though my son is not always involved in […]
Nature at the London Wetlands Centre
My family and I just love the London Wetlands Centre. We have enjoyed so many visits over the years. My son held his 6th birthday party there, when the sun shone for us even in January. Our visit on Sunday did not disappoint. In fact it was perfection and lovely to revisit it after a gap of […]
Catkins and Pussy Willow
Do you remember as a child spotting these two iconic heralders of spring? They seem to have passed me by over the last couple of years, although you they seem to be more easily seen and purchased in florists now. Except for Christmas holly it is one of the rare occasions when we bring parts […]
Easter Egg Grass Heads
Growing Ideas for Easter Easter is prime sowing and growing time in the garden. So why not try to make these Easter egg grassheads and cressheads. They are fun, you may have most of the ingredients already in the house and they germinate and grow very fast. In 2/3 weeks the eggs should have a […]
What Vegetables to Sow and Grow with your Kids in March and April
Vegetables to Plant Outside with your Kids in March and April March and April is the time of year when the sowing and growing season really starts. Here are some ideas about what vegetables and fruit you can start growing with your kids. That’s a long list of vegetables. If you are new to […]
What to Grow and Activities for your Kids in the Garden in February
We are still full of resolution in February, but it’s not really the month when we can get out into the garden for any length of time. The focus has to be on growing indoors, general garden maintenance and preparation and planning for the growing season. Ideas for Indoor Growing with Kids You will need […]
We Are Going on a Fossil Hunt
While everybody else has been ringing in the New we have been popping back in time by taking a look at the Old on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast. It is a great twist on a beach scavenge and we hoped that the recent storms may have thrown up and exposed some new fossils. We have […]
My Garden in December – As 2013 Ends
Hurray hurray at last Jack Frost has worked his magic overnight and the garden looks all white and sparkily. We have been spoilt over the last few years by having snow and hard frost before Christmas. This year November and December have been so mild with even a light frost rare. The weeds are growing […]
Kidsinthegarden Top 5 Outdoorable Christmas Presents for Children
Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas and every year it feels as if parents have to work harder to counter the effects of screen time on children. You won’t see any of these presents advertised on TV, yet they are as much part of childhood as the latest toy. Packets of Seeds Packets […]
Magical Nightime Garden – Syon Park
We have just made a repeat trip to the Enchanted Woodland Garden at Syon Park, West London. We first visited this time last year and yet again it was a magical, enchanting and inspiring experience. The gardens are lit, spotlighted and hung with decorations. The organisers use the effect of changing colour, twinkling lights, […]
A Walk Around Stourhead Gardens
This weekend Professor Tanya Byron talked about family time in the Saturday Times. Top of her list were some very basic bonding behaviours such as walking together as a family, chatting and looking at nature. So our walk around the Stourhead estate in Wiltshire fitted the bill perfectly. We had intended to marvel at the […]
My Garden in November
We are definitely at the end of the flowering season in my garden. It’s all looking a bit tatty and floppy. There has not been a frost yet, but plenty of rain has fallen, so today there are photos speckled full of those dewy drops. The flowering season seems also to be a bit […]
Pumpkin Carving
Carving a pumpkin is now an essential part of childhood. We have always carved a small pumpkin at home. When I say we I mean hubby has usually using tools from the toolbox with the chisel featuring heavily. We manage a standard type of scary face, the pumpkin has never been able to better […]
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