Little Green Thumbs

A collective sigh of relief and groans went up almost simultaneously on Friday as kids finished up school term number 3 (in New South Wales at least).

Yeah I know, "where's part two of Epiphytes and Parasites?" I hear you say, well if I have learned anything from big American TV shows, there is nothing like a mid-season break to keep the fans interested/anger them to no end.

Getting your hands dirty? Bright coloured gum boots are a must.

So in this installment I'd like to have a look at things we can do as parents, care givers and/or educators to help our kids get interested in the garden and natural world.

There is a certain wonder we get growing up and at various stages throughout our lives as we learn, as certain subjects capture our imagination. It's one of those things we tend to lose as we get older and something that comes flooding back when we have kids of our own.

In the modern urban landscape, where the average size of house yards and gardens are shrinking before our eyes, it is more important than ever to ensure the next generation has the opportunity to learn, discover and interact with the natural world.

I think most of us at some point in our junior school days would have done the simple experiment with alfalfa sprouts growing on cotton wool in various conditions. This simple but effective experiment has introduced many kids around the world to how plants begin their lives.

Sprouts Alive!

It can show little minds what plants require to grow and how we can effect there growth by manipulating various conditions and recording the outcomes of our intervention. Aside from alfalfa, there are many other easy to grow species such as Basil, Lettuce, Allysum, Sun flowers, Sweet peas, Marigold, Carrots, Rocket, Snap Dragons.

Mr Fothergills has a great range of seeds and seed raising kits for beginners, you can find these at all good retail nurseries. But come on now, we can get a little bit more creative than that when it comes to growing plants from seeds, right!.

Nowadays pots come in many shapes, sizes and colours but we can look around the home and find some more interesting ways to grow plants from seeds, while also reducing household waste a little and every bit counts.

Eggshell Seedlings

Don't throw away your egg cartons and shells, instead reduce your waste and keep them for this nifty seed raising idea. 

An eggsellent idea.

Remove the egg carton lid, place eggshells into the remaining "dimpled" section of the carton. With a teaspoon carefully fill about 80% with a seed raising mix, water soil lightly before sowing the seed.

If you're using small seeds sprinkle lightly over the top and fill with a further 10% soil  mix, for larger seeds like Sun flower or Beans just one seed per eggshell pushed lightly into the soil before adding more soil will suffice. Once seed is sown, lightly water again so the soil settles into place.

Don't forget to label your seeds so you remember what you've planted - you can use a permanent marker and write directly onto the eggshell. Then place in a warm, but sheltered spot and wait for the germination magic to begin. If it's still a little cold where you are, a warm windowsill will work just as well, just remember to move outside when it's warm enough.

The great thing about using eggshells to raise seedlings in is they can be planted out still in the eggshell. Just lightly crack the shell all over, to help the biodegrading process. Once in the ground (or a pot) the shell will break down adding food to soil and in turn back to the plant.

Soft Drink Bottle Pot People

Here's another crafty idea that can help get the little ones interested in the world of plants by engaging their creative side and imagination. You probably have the odd soft drink bottle sitting around the house just waiting for the recycling bin right? Don't throw them out just yet!

Nice Fro!

For this little project you'll need an empty and cleaned soft drink bottle, scissors plus some craft supply's such as googly eyes, craft clue (or a hot glue gun), buttons or bottle tops and pipe cleaners, but don't let me limit your imagination!

Cut the bottle, keeping 1/3 to 1/2 of the bottom piece. With a nail or the blade of the scissors, make little holes in the bottom for drainage. Before we fill the bottle section with soil we need to create your pot man (or woman, or animal). So get creative, get decorating - add some crazy eyes, a cute nose, big floppy ears and a warm smile.

Once the glue has dried and the smoke has settled from your furious crafting it's time to get your green thumbs wiggling. Add soil to the bottle, not all the way to the top, leave a couple of centimeters so water doesn't overflow, then lightly water in to settle and hydrate the soil. All that's left is to sow the seeds.

Now you can sow anything that takes your fancy but a good idea is to use a plant that will look like hair for your pot person. Some suggestions would be Sprouts, Chives, Parsley (triple curl for that cool Afro look), Coriander, Marjoram or Oregano - something that will give you a nice hair style that you can even cut for use in the kitchen.

Again, leave in a sunny (sun to part shade) spot or on a warm window sill. Remember to increase the water once the plants start growing. The packet your seeds came in will have all the info you need to help you start growing.

Feeding the Locals

Attracting wildlife and increasing biodiversity in our little corners of the world is a pretty important thing these days with the pressure the urban sprawl is putting on the natural environment. In a bid to help our native locals and connect our kids with nature here's a couple of simple ideas to get the kids involved.

Sticking with the recycling theme, both these bird feeder project use household items and take little effort to create. Firstly the drink bottle bird feeder:

Two, Four, Six, Eight - bog in, don't wait!

Again we use a empty soft drink bottle, you'll also need the lid. We will also need one or two wooden spoons (depending on the size of the bottle), blu tack or craft putty, scissors, string or fishing line and of course bird seed.

Cut two holes (per spoon) into the side of the bottle. Holes need to large enough to fit the handle through comfortably. The holes need to be opposite from each other and don't have to be 100% level.
Push the handle trough until the spoon end is up against the plastic. If required, hold the handle end in place at the exit hole with blu tack or craft putty.

Where the spoon end is protruding the hole will need to be made slightly larger to allow the seed to gently spill out and fill the spoon area as birds have their breakfast lunch or dinner. The longer handle part of the spoon can serve as a perch for those birds that just want to stop and rest a while.

Before you buy seed and fill your bird feeder it is important to check what birds are in your area and talk to a pet shop for advise on the right seed for those birds. Once you've selected the bird seed and filled the bottle you'll need to hang it up. Taking the string or fishing line, wrap one end around the mouth of the bottle and tie off. Screw the lid on over the string so it is firmly secure.

Next we need to find a nice spot where the birds can enjoy their meal, maybe you have a tree in your yard or maybe you could hang it off a railing from a balcony. Remember to check on seed levels regularly and keep clean and tidy.
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The second way to make an easy DIY bird feeder is to re-use another common household item, the humble toilet roll. Before  Mum or Dad throw out those empty toilet rolls, keep them aside for this sticky bird feeder.

Dinner is served

For this (possibly messy) project you will need string or fishing line, as many empty toilet rolls as you can handle, peanut butter, bread & butter knife (or paddle pop sticks), plastic container and bird seed.

Pour some bird seed into the container (see notes above on bird seed selection) this will be used to coast the toilet rolls in a moment. Stand the toilet roll up vertically. using the knife apply the peanut butter to the surface of the toilet roll. Gently roll the cardboard cylinder over the seed in the container until covered well.

Repeat until all rolls are complete, set a side, standing upright and allow to dry a little. When seed/peanut butter mixture is tacky enough to touch, take lengths of string (or fishing line) and pass through the cylinder, the length of string needed will depend on where you want to hang it from. Tie ends of string in a knot and find a nice spot to hang, sit back and watch the birds enjoy their tasty treat.

It's thirsty work!

Aside from food, birds also will appreciate a refreshing drink, especially in the warmer months. So just like your pets at home, leave some water out for the birds. Now you could go to the effort of buying a proper ceramic or concrete bird bath but it's easier  to do something yourself.

Chatting around the water cooler

Using a terracotta pot saucer (available from nurseries and landscape supplies), elevated it off the ground with old bricks, blocks or pots, this is so birds can evade predators. The best placement is somewhere quite and out of the way, a protected area where birds won't feel threatened or bothered.

Another way we can provide a water source for our winged friends is by using a hanging or suspended bird bath. You can buy these pre-made with chain link or wire hangers attached already from garden centres or pet stores.

For the handy Mums & Dads out there buy a plastic pot saucer, which are easy to find and cheap to purchase then attach some chain link, string or fishing line to the sides. Hang them up in a tree then just add water.

The old watering hole

The depth of the dish or saucer should be enough for the birds not only to drink from but to bathe themselves too. Just keep an eye on the water levels and top up as needed. It is important to think of our local wildlife in times of drought and extreme weather as things in the 'wild' can be tough.

So there are a few ideas to keep your little people entertained, not just these school holidays, it could be any weekend when you have some spare time, wondering what to do.

To borrow a quote from 'The Greatest Love of All' by Whitney Houston - "I believe children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way", this is so true, they will be the keepers of the future and we need to engage them in ways of the world.

There are loads of cool ideas out there and its not too hard to look for them but hopefully you've found a couple here you can use and your kids will enjoy the results of their work - if you do try some, let me know how it went - you can contact me here.