Sunflowers are amazing plants and imagine what kids must think when these bright yellow flowers peer down on them from above. They are bigger than life! Have fun growing sunflowers and make this great ‘Sunflower Garden’ for your favourite gardener as a gift that just keeps on giving! This is all that is needed…
CLASSROOM: SEED GERMINATION This experiment lets kids watch the magic of a seed germinating. It’s easy to set up and gives lots of opportunity for discussion. Find out more
Years ago, when our parents planted out their vegie patches, they turned over the soil, mixed some sheep manure through, planted their seeds and then came out every day to turn on the sprinklers to give them water. After a month or so, they would grab their basket and head out just before dinner to…
By completing this experiment, children get to observe the magic that happens beneath the soil when a seed germinates and grows into a vegetable. They then use this information to help them make inferences as to how best to grow seeds in their own garden. Year level(s): Years 3 to 7 (Includes suggestions for extension)…
Just because I’m a grown up doesn’t mean that I can’t play with my food! The other day, I became inspired and had some fun sculpting my own flock of sheep from cauliflower. It was quite easy really. The cauliflower forms the body and then I used toothpicks to attach the carrot legs and the…
There are many vegetables and herbs that will grow really well from seed, especially if planted into pots. In fact, plants like coriander, rocket, radishes and beans are especially good to grow from seed as they are fast to germinate and give very quick results. Growing from seed is really quite easy. Just make sure…
Grasshoppers are fantastic to watch as they hop from one leaf to another with their enormously long legs. They have wings as well which allow them to go great distances but what is most remarkable is the ‘song’ that the male grasshoppers make by rubbing their back legs together. Apparently this is to help them…
HOW TO IDENTIFY THEM Snails can be as tiny as 3mm long to over 3cm long. They are gastropods which in Latin means ‘gastro’ for stomach and ‘pod’ for foot. They protect their soft body with a hard shell which they can retreat into in danger and in hot weather. Snails have two pairs of tentacles. Their eyes…
Ladybirds may appear to be beautiful and harmless but, in fact, they are ferocious predators with a voracious appetite for sap-sucking insects. Aphids and other sap-sucking insects are common in our gardens, feeding in large colonies on the plant juices of the new buds and shoots on roses, fruit trees and other plants. You can tell there…
Vegetables, herbs and flowers can be grown in pots on a balcony or on the patio. All they need is at least 6 hours of direct sunlight, a steady supply of water and good quality potting mix. It’s easy to plant the same vegetables or flowers in each pot but you could try mixing them…