Most kids love building a den, whether it be with the sofa cushions indoors and outdoors, and the more traditional rustic type with branches, sticks and twigs from trees. Indeed whatever foliage you can lay your hands on. Nothing beats that cosy toasty feeling when the making is complete and you can crawl inside. Its […]
Archive | 2014
What to Plant with your Kids in September and October
As well as tidying up the garden ready for winter you can still sow and plant in the autumn. A spot of gardening with the kids is an ideal activity for a warm autumn afternoon. Late autumn is, in fact, the best time to plant shrubs and trees, including fruit trees. Some of the vegetables […]
The Art of Blackberry Picking
Blackberries are a fantastic berry for September. They are full of vitamin C and anti-oxidants. If you forage for them they are also free. If you have never gone blackberrying with your children before here are a couple of pointers to make the experience all the more enjoyable. If, like my family, you are seasoned […]
Barefoot at Kew Gardens
You have over 7,000 nerve endings in each of your feet. We have been putting them to good use with a real tingle, thanks to Kew Garden’s barefoot walk. We have come across barefoot experiences in a small village in Austria, and again, this summer around a mountainside lake in Switzerland, and we think it […]
Journey Sticks
Walking and sticks are a perfect combination. Our walk with friends last weekend had all three boys starting the walk with a large stick. One of these had a forked end and on his own initiative one of the boys wound a long piece of grass around this stick and started adding items to it. […]
The Abandoned Garden
Creating a garden is a very personal and individual activity. I have often visited gardens where the person or couple are quite elderly and have wondered what will happen to that garden when they are no longer around. This week I have had the opportunity to see for myself what takes over when a garden, […]
Make Space in your Garden for Hedgehogs: The Hampton Court Flower Show 2014
A vivid memory from my childhood is putting out cat food in the garden for the hedgehogs and then creeping out into the dark to spot them munching away. I haven’t seen this iconic mammal in the wild since then. The photo above was taken when we handled one from a Dorset Hedgehog Rescue Society […]
Gardens at the Hampton Court Flower Show 2014
The Hampton Court Flower Show 2014 runs from 8 to 13th July 2014. If you have never visited before it is a great day out for gardeners, novice gardeners and those just wanting an idea or two to spruce up their gardens. This a quick run through og some of the highlights of this years […]
The Day We Closed Our Road to Traffic
We live on a relatively quiet road. Few of the houses have space for garages or driveways, just small front gardens. So most of the time there are cars parked on both sides of the road. Consequently, as with many roads, the only time the children can play outside is when they dash up and […]
Music and Sundials at the Horniman Museum & Gardens
I wanted to share with you our day out at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in South East London. We had never trekked across south London to visit before and I had always assumed that it was a mini-version of the Natural History Museum. To some extent it is, but it so much more, […]
Bugs, Scarecrows & Hollow Tree Trunks
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 […]
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