“The Children’s Garden” – a book review by Lulu Burt

Hey y’all. I am always on the look-out for new ideas for things to do outside in the garden. You may have read my recent blog which had 19 Great Ideas for Summer Fun In The Garden. Well, now I have even more ideas to share with you thanks to a great new book called “The Children’s Garden” by Matthew Appleby.

I am so excited about my new book I can’t open my eyes!

There are a whopping 52 projects packed into this book and they are done in a very engaging way. There are LOTS of lovely colour photos as well as plenty of tips and facts within each section. The book is split into the different seasons so that there are always plenty of ideas to choose from whatever time of year it may be. Everything is done on a really low budget and most projects use things which you already have lying about the house. Here are a few of my favourites:

Fun With Potatoes

Potato stamping is an old favourite and perfect for this time of year as we harvest our home grown tatties. There are always a few potatoes which aren’t quite up to my high standards so what better than to use them to do some potato stamping!

Potato stamping made me starry eyed!

Wet Work & Play

There are lots of water fun ideas in this chapter. One that I loved doing was really simple. Mummy gave me a bowl filled with soapy suds and I set about washing all my dolly’s clothes. My clothes ended up drying on the washing line too but it was great fun!

Doing the washing is fun – Mummy says I can always do it!

Flowers To Pick & Press

I have been sent a flower press to try out (I’ll blog all about that soon!) so combining that with this book was the perfect opportunity to try it out. I loved picking lots of pretty flowers then seeing how different they looked once pressed. I then made a pretty bookmark using them.

A pressed cirsium looks like a funny moustache!

Feed The Birds

This was a great project and all we needed was an old water bottle, a couple of pencils and some bird seed. My bird feeder looks great hanging in the garden.

The bird feeder I made out of an old water bottle

And here are some of the ones which I am desperate to try which I haven’t yet…

Home made seed bombs – kaboom!
Turf tattoos – hopscotch on the lawn will be fab!
Butterfly World – M&D have bought me a butterfly cage so that I can do this at home
Paint it Black – I have some chalk paint and I am going to paint my sand pit lid so that it can double as a chalk board.
From Picking to Pie – yum, bramble picking, we will be able to do that soon!
Thinking Ahead – this involves making a time capsule. I am definitely going to do that and get the builder’s to bury it in the foundations of our new house extension!
Carrot: Root to Cake – I love eating carrots so it will be a struggle to keep some aside for cake making but I’m sure I will manage!
Make a Cress Head – there are lots of fun ideas of what you can make a cress head from
Craft a Model Garden – for rainy days when you can’t get outside, this is a perfect way to still enjoy gardening

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “The Children’s Garden” and would definitely recommend it for all children.

I give it a Lulu rating of:

Five out of five, woohoo!

Available on hardback, RRP 14.99 *

Happy reading!

Lulu xx

*Price correct at time of publication

We’re Going On A Bug Hunt

This week is National Insect Week so there is NO better time to get outdoors and go on a bug hunt. Not sure where to start? Well, read on to find out how to go bug hunting and some great kit to use…

A bug hotel, there’s got to be LOTS of bugs living here!

What you need:

A clear container to pop your bugs into for a closer look
A net to catch some flying bugs
A spoon to help dig for bugs and a brush to gently get them into your jar
A magnifying glass
A notepad and pen to help keep note of what you have found

My lil sis Tilda loves to go bug hunting too!

Where should you go?:

Bugs can be found pretty much anywhere. Have a look in your own garden and you will find all sorts of things from butterflies to beetles, lacewings to ladybirds, slaters to snails. Head off to your local woods to see if you can find something different lurking deep inside. Or I LOVE to visit Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre which is great for bug hunting and pond dipping.

A brush can help you gently get a bug into your jar to look at

What to do…

Well, remember to be quiet and gentle when you are bug hunting so you don’t scare any bugs. Also, be careful where you are going so you don’t get stung by any plants or bugs. Under stones and old logs are great hiding places, look under leaves of plants and in their flowerheads and have a dig in some soil.

Look under old logs for bugs

Things to think about…

What colour is it?
What size is it? Is it as big as a coin?
How quickly does it move around?

A magnifying pot is perfect for a closer peak

What do you think it likes to eat?
Does it have wings?
What sort of creature is it?
And what is its name? I like Leia the Ladybird.

Nets are great for helping catch flying bugs like butterflies

Consider making a home for some of the bugs you find. Bug hotels are great fun to make with lots of materials you will probably have lying about the garden.

You can do a lot of bug hunting using old spoons and containers from your kitchen (remember to ask your parents before you start digging in the soil with their best silverware!)