Keeping kids busy with fun in the garden

Tag : Tea Flower

An old phone book works well. When they are dry -- it will takeseveral weeks -- carefully glue them onto fairly heavy paper.
A bottle of herbal vinegar makes an interesting gift. Dollarstores, which are a source of cheap treasures, have fancy bottlesthat can be filled with a white vinegar and some herbs, such asdill, mint, basil or any combination you wish and left to sit inthe sun for a few days until they gain the strength you wish. Thenremove the herbs.
If you grow lavender you can pick the lavender flowers and makelavender wands or little sachets of lavender to be put in amongclothing.
With tissue paper and leaves you can make special wrapping paper.Coat the leaf with poster paint and press on the tissue paper. Youcan also make a stamp by cutting a potato into a special shape andcoating it with paint. Make designs all over the paper.
Children can grow interesting things. Cut the top of a carrot, putit into a saucer and watch the top grow into an interesting plant.The same can be done with a pineapple. Try to grow an avocado bysuspending it over a glass of water with part of it submerged. Usetoothpicks for this.
If you are growing watermelons or pumpkins, let them carve theirinitials in one.
Pumpkins make great jack-o'- lanterns. Instead of carving them,they can
be decorated with vegetables for ears, mouths and add corn huskhair. They can be used after that if they haven't been sitting oncement, which leads to rot.
There is always a class in the local fair for an exotic animal madeout of vegetables. Try for something original to catch the judge'seye. Use a zucchini. Leave a bit of stem. Put eyes near the top andcut off a slice right down it, so that the white pulp shows. Addflippers made from some of the cuttings. Use toothpicks to attachthem and add a jaunty hat. Add feet made of carrots. I hope itlooks somewhat like a penguin.
A caterpillar can be made from a cucumber. Give it legs (a lot ofthem) and a few cherry tomatoes on top. Add eyes.
The fair always wants collections of leaves or stones or seeds.Summer is a good time to collect these things and label them.Leaves will need to be pressed the same way the flowers were. Youcould also iron them between two pieces of wax paper.
For some fun, perhaps at a party, have a watermelon seed spittingcontest, to see who can spit the seed the farthest. If you havelots of jewel weed or Himalayan impatiens -- see who
can pop those seeds the farthest.
(Somewhere you don't want a lot more of them.
You can also have a contest
blowing dandelion seeds, just like blowing out candles. How manypuffs does it take?
When the dandelions have nice long stems, put the ends together andmake a chain or necklace. Over the season see who can grow thetallest corn or largest pumpkin.
If you have a pond watch for frog eggs. Perhaps you will findtadpoles and be able to watch and see their legs develop, or find acocoon and see whether you get a moth or butterfly.
You nay attract a toad to your home if you build him a house. He
likes a damp, shady place. A clay
flower pot turned upside down with a hole at the edge for him tocome and go might do the trick. Then you can watch his long tonguecome out to catch flies and mosquitoes.
I hope you have fun this summer in the garden.
GARDENING HINT
Keep picking off dead flowers, so that they will continue to bloominstead of thinking they are finished and set seeds. Someperennials such as phlox can be partially cut back, so that somebloom shorter and later than others. By removing the dead blooms,some perennials will rebloom.
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COMING EVENTS
July 2. Paris Hortmembers are asked to meet at the ParisFairgrounds for a mystery tour. July 6 and 13from 1 p. m.-4 p. m.St. George Lily Garden will be in bloom -- just behind the Bank ofMontreal.
July 12 The Forestry Station and Interpretive Centre is holding
an open house to celebrate their 100 anniversary. 10 a. m.
(St. Williams)
Galt Hortcontinues to have garden tours on Mondays for members.
July 13 Brantford Garden Club hosts its annual flower show. It isheld at Tranquility fire hall. See their 'waterwise garden' whileyou are there. (10 a. m.-4 p. m.) Free admission.