Easter weekend weather could see temperatures hit 22C
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After months of cold, rainy, and mostly unsettled weather, Brits can finally look forward to much warmer conditions – and just in time for the Easter holidays. The sunny school break is the perfect opportunity to make gardening and cooking accessible for the kids with some fun, easy, Easter-themed activities.
Garden activities are not only fun – and very appealing pastimes – to children, but they’re also great for cognitive development.
From picking up tiny seeds to planning the best spots to plant them, learning more about the environment and familiarizing themselves with nature – it all plays a crucial role in teaching very valuable lessons and new responsibilities.
What’s a better time to encourage learning and development opportunities than a warm, Easter holiday?
You might be wondering where to start. So to offer some support, Express.co.uk spoke to garden expert Beth Murton, editor of Gardeningetc.com for some tips to keep your kids entertained in the garden over the Easter holidays.
Plan an Easter egg hunt in the garden
No Easter weekend is complete without an Easter egg hunt, and your garden is the perfect place to create one to keep the kids busy.
Mrs Murton said: “Every year, my husband and I devise a treasure hunt for our two kids, with a number of picture clues – badly drawn by myself I might add – leading them to several stashes of mini chocolate eggs.
“Even though they are getting older now, they still insist on us doing it every year as it’s become such a family tradition.”
Concoct magic garden potions
Gardens provide endless possibilities to get creative, as you don’t have to worry too much about the mess.
Mrs Murton said: “A firm favourite for any young Harry Potter fans out there, mixing up potions is sure to get them interested in spending time outdoors this Easter.
“Although you can buy outdoor potion kits online, there’s really nothing better than making use of the free ingredients you have in your garden.
Mrs Murton continued: “Handfuls of grass and soil combined with a few leaves and petals in some plastic bottles or containers will spark their fascination with all things witches and wizards.
“Just make sure they don’t actually test it out!”
Create a mud kitchen
What could be more fun for kids than being given permission to get covered in mud?
Mrs Murton said: “Set them up in a corner of the garden with a couple of old pots and pans, some wooden spoons and a few containers and they’ll have hours of fun putting together their tasty mud pies.”
Along with the benefits of role-playing and fostering new passions for cooking that accompany any play kitchen, the sensory materials like mud will heighten the experience by stimulating more creativity – which is great for personal growth.
Build a garden camp
From setting up tents or making your own dens with sheets; garden camps always go down well with little ones. Brits are due to enjoy drier, sunnier weather for the most part of next week, making this a perfect activity for the kids to get stuck into.
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Mrs Murton said: “My own kids love nothing better than creating a den in the garden. An old bedsheet or tablecloth strung between trees is a simple way to create a makeshift den, but there are some brilliant kits available online too.
“My two have had hours of fun with the Original Den Kit from The Den Kit Company [link] as it comes with a durable camouflage tarpaulin, groundsheet, tent pegs, rope and a wooden mallet so they have everything they need for building their own fun retreat away from prying adult eyes.”
Make simple bird feeders to encourage wildlife
If you’ve got a bag of birdseed, apples, a jar of peanut butter and some string at home, then you’ve got all the equipment you need to make some quick and easy bird feeders.
Mrs Murton said: “I’ve made these with my own kids and they work a treat. Simply cut the apples into large slices, cover the end of each slice in peanut butter and dip this sticky section into the birdseed.
“All that’s left to do is hang the finished feeders in the trees and see how many different species of garden birds you can spot enjoying the homemade feast.”
If you don’t have trees, you can place them on tables or elevated areas of the garden.
Plant flower seeds
The best way to get kids excited about gardening and nature is to get them involved from a young age, so why not use the Easter holidays to start planting some flower seeds to watch grow over the summer months?
Mrs Murton said: “One of the easiest options is to create a wildflower area in a section of your garden, and early to mid-spring is a good time to do it.
“Wildflowers grow best in poor quality soil too, so you won’t even need to do much preparation.
“Simply remove any good quality topsoil and weeds from your planting area, sprinkle your wildflower seeds over the soil and then gently rake over the top.”
To make it easier to sow the seeds, you might find it helpful to mix them in with a little sand before sowing so you can see where you have scattered them.
Mrs Murton continued: “Buying a ready-made mix of wildflower seeds from the garden centre or online is your best option as it means you’ll get a good combination of wildflowers and grasses that grow well together.”
Grow your own vegetables
Mrs Murton said: “Getting kids involved in planting, watering and harvesting crops can be a useful way to encourage them to take an interest in where food comes from, and hopefully eat more vegetables in the process too!”
You don’t need to have fancy, raised garden beds or a large vegetable garden to grow your own veg at home either.
Just a few pots on a patio can be sufficient for growing a good collection of homegrown produce, and Easter is a great time to sit down with the kids and start planning what you want to grow.
Mrs Murton said: “If this is your first foray into growing vegetables, some of the easiest to grow in pots are salad leaves, kale, potatoes, baby spinach, chard and dwarf tomatoes.
“The best advice, however, is to start out by growing what you enjoy eating on a regular basis, as this way you’re more likely to continue with your veg growing efforts.”
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