Page 15 - ALG Issue 2 2019

resources for children’s activities on the plot
There are lots of ideas for growing activities with children on the Children’s Garden Week website, but you can also find resources on the Nature Detectives pages of the Woodland Trust website for activities such as ID sheets for your allotment mini-beast hunts and making bird feeders: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ naturedetectives/
The RSPB website has a family fun and learning section and the Wildlife Trust websites have lots of ideas.
There are also some great ideas here from the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust: www.wildforestschool.org.uk/ resources
National Children’s Gardening Week
National Children’s Gardening Week takes place annually in the ‘warm’ week at the end of May. In 2019 this is 25 May to 2 June.
Children, parents, grandparents, schools or garden businesses can find ideas for fun garden projects and activities on the dedicated
website. www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk/
ideas for games and activities on the plot
HARVEST TIME TREASURE HUNT
Adult: Your job is to be Captain of the ‘Jolly Rhubarb’, a pirate ship which sails the muddy seas. Under your command you have a gang of pirates whose job it is to hunt out treasure. Now, this treasure is either buried under ground or hanging from bushes, but either way it is valuable and packed full of vitamins and minerals
– and must be hunted out before the end of the ‘harvesting’ season. Give each of your pirates a list of treasure they must find within 30 minutes (e.g. a bucket of potatoes, ten tomatoes, six carrots etc.). The one who completes the task wins a prize. NB – Fancy dress isn’t compulsory, but it does add to the fun of it!
GROW YOUR OWN PLANT TEPEE
Along with a small section of the plot to grow some tasty vegetables, how about a living den where your kids can play and hide? Create a tepee shape with some bamboo or bean poles; wind string around the poles to help the plants cling, then plant climbing crops at the base - beans would be ideal - and how about a few sweet peas, or even a quick-growing squash such as tromboncino? Train and tie them in as they grow.
WILDLIFE FRIENDLY PLOT
Creating a plot dedicated to encouraging beneficial insects and amphibians will help children to appreciate the importance of bio- diversity. Pollinator friendly flowers such as poached egg plant, marigolds, honeywort, nasturtiums, French marigolds and alliums can be sown in spring and interspersed amongst the vegetables. Adding an insect or bee home made from recycled materials will give the insects a home in winter. A small pond in a container would
be suitable for older children and attract pond skaters and damselflies, or even a frog or two, especially if there is somewhere dark, damp and quiet nearby to hide, like an upturned flowerpot. Put a layer of gravel in the bottom of your container, fill up with rainwater and add rocks or wood
that will enable creatures to climb
out. Plant up your pond with native marginal plants around the edge, poking clear of the surface to give perches and cover to wildlife. You will also need aquatic plants to help the pond stay clear; the native frogbit (which looks like a miniature water lily) will also provide shelter for tadpoles and insect larvae. Other options are rigid hornwort and whorled water- milfoil. All of these plants can be purchased at garden centres.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 15