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Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Biology, science, engineering, design, math, conservation and communication all come together as Eco kids begin to explore, work and play in their own garden. Co-operative skills also come to the fore, as Eco Kids practice taking turns and learn to accommodate each other's interests, strengths and weaknesses.

As parents we can make the most of the living, breathing classrooms that is right at our doorstep by going outside regularly and slowing down enough to notice what they notice - and then helping them notice even more! When we see the world through their eyes, we learn a lot ourselves in the process.

Kids need lots of opportunities to explore and make mistakes when getting involved in garden activities, so be patient and provide plenty of reassurance. After all, Eco kids learn best when they can focus on the process and not the outcome. Be brave, let go, and do what grown-up Eco kids in general sometimes find it hard to do: live in the moment and enjoy your time in the outdoors with your Eco child!

Growing Flowers

Flowers should be colourful and easy to grow. Buy some as seeds and some as seedlings, so that children can see the seeds grow but can also see real flowers from the start. I remember as a child my beautiful Grandma helped make a rainbow garden - we planted colours of the rainbow and made a rainbow shape with coloured vegetables and flowers.

Remind the young Eco child to keep the flowers watered regularly. While watering, they can check for fairies, elves and gnomes.

Growing Seeds in a Seed Raising Tray

You will need: A cardboard egg carton, a baking dish, a pair of scissors, seed raising mixture, some seeds to sow (peas, beans or broad beans are good to try).

What to do:

1. Cut the egg carton along the "hinge" to make one flat tray and one tray of "plugs".

2. Use the scissors to push out the bottom of each egg space so that the plugs have no bottom.

3. Sit the tray of plugs in the flat tray and fill them with moist seed raising mix.

4. Plant one seed in each plug.

5. Sit the trays in a well-lit spot in the baking tray. Keep the soil moist by adding water to the bottom tray if necessary.

6. When the seedlings have grown leaves you can transplant them into pots or straight into the garden. Water the seedlings first and let them drain. Separate the plugs by carefully cutting the egg carton into pieces. Carefully cut down the sides of each plug with the scissors. It doesn't really matter if the cardboard stays because it will soon break down in the soil.

Always wash hands well after gardening.

Happy gardening!