Kids have always been patience challenged and modern kids are even more so. The biggest challenge for unplugging them to garden outdoors is projects that grow fast enough to keep them interested. Enter the sunflower!

This extraordinarily fast grower is a North American native of the Midwest. The tall branching plant does not produce large flowers, but they do mature into nutritious seed. That is why it’s been farmed by many Native American tribes along the Missouri River flood plains for aeons. Over time they selected seed from the biggest flowers to increase the size of each kernel they grew. With the advent of modern agriculture that same selection process continued. Scientific breeding of the Mammoth sunflower resulted in the fifteen foot tall plant that every kid and adult marvels at.

Growing Mammoths from seed is awesome. You can grow them in a big forest that kids play beneath, or use them to create an enclosure open in the middle like a fort. Because they are so cheap to grow, you can cultivate a whole gang of them using kids garden tools, such as our kids trowels and cultivators to create a structural crop that defines space rather than just a single row.

There are so many opportunities to teach through sunflowers:

1) Stress the value of native plants and their relationship to Native Americans.

2) Fast germination lets kids see the result of their planting in just days.

3) Teach how to water generously with these thirsty fellows.

4) Demonstrate the importance of manure via soil improvement and mulch.

As the sunflowers mature point out how the terminal bud follows the sun. They are “photo-tropic”, which is an awareness of the sun’s position and will indicate this all day long. The final position of the flower is dictated by where it is the moment it opens, then it stays that way forever.

Over the late summer, watch the flowers pollinate then drop their petals to produce the dinner plate sized seed heads. When the seed is mature cut them off and lay flat in the sun to dry out. From these you can pick out the seeds and roast them together. Leave a few sunflowers unharvested for the birds to pick on and save a few of your dried heads to put out for winter birds many months later. And finally, like the Indians did, save a small bag of the largest seeds to plant next year. Browse our kids gardening store for other items to help get you started growing sunflowers this season!

HortiKids Staff Writer, Mo Gilmer

Gardening with Kids is a life long adventure and opens a whole new world of learning. Consider all of the aspects of gardening that kids can learn: planning, material choices, weather considerations and environmental concerns. Break all of the complexities down to the simple - just get your hands dirty and get started in your outdoor (or indoor) gardening classroom:

1. Begin with a bit of planning. Let's say your're planning an outdoor garden and have some space concerns. Take a sheet of paper and layout your proposed garden with the kids using a ruler, to scale, if preferred. Determine factors based on the future growth needs of your planned flowers or vegetables and how much space will be required. Do you have any space that ought to be set aside for transplanting needs?

2. Visit your local nursery (or online store!) and choose from a variety of seeds such as flower seeds or vegetable seeds, or perhaps plants. Part of the fun is watching the seeds germinate, but if you're looking to get a quick start, obtain some plants already grown at the desired stage.

3. Provide the kids with their own garden tools that they can use as their own. Kids love ownership and having a set of tools for the garden which they can turn to will help keep them interested.

4. Instruct them on the care of the garden as it begins to grow. Pulling weeds is part of the process. Let them water the garden and observe all that lives amongst the plants - worms, insects, etc.

5. Consider making a stepping stone - one with words on it that kids can place in an area all their own. Stepping stones with a child's name on it or perhaps a word stepping stone with a plant name on it make great garden markers and add personality to your garden.

The more time you spend in the garden with the kids, the more they are going to consider it a habit and they will naturally want more. And of course, there is always the harvest!

For more ideas on the wonderful, and easy ways, of involving kids in gardening, visit our Learning Directory. You may also find some helpful gardening resources for your classroom or family by visiting our online store and browsing our categories of products that help teach kids gardening and horticulture.

Enjoy your Garden Together!

Kim Hummert

As a parent, teacher or even a Scout leader, start with a basic understanding of your local environment and the types of birds that live around you. This will make the teaching and educating easier, since children tend not to have the patience and stamina to watch and wait for that rare appearance. You may want to first begin with a bird house and / or bird feeder and attract the wild birds in your chosen area.

Choose a bird house that allows for nesting so that your local bluebirds, sparrows or cardinals can find an enjoyable habitat to raise their young. A family of birds tend to stay longer, especially when the nesting environment is large enough to support them. Your bird house should be weather resistant and have plenty of ventilation. Place a bird feeder nearby and keep it well stocked. Also be sure there is plenty of water nearby either in the form of a bird bath, lake or pond.

Once you have a family of birds living near you, involve the children:

1. Point out the species of birds that live in your bird house and keep a journal. Let your child or class handwrite the journal keeping notes on times of day such birds were eating, the number of birds observed and the weather.

2. Use some good bird identifying tools, flash cards or books. Being able to see the bird in full color and then in the wild on a regular basis, whether in your own backyard or while traveling helps to build the ability to observe successfully.

3. Obtain a set of bird watching binoculars that can provide just enough strength that the child can hold them steady and view the birds in all their glory.

Making bird watching a regular activity, if even for a short period of time, helps to reinforce all that you are teaching. Stay with it and soon you will have some childhood ornithologists on your hands!

You can find other useful tips that help teach kids about nature and the world around them by visiting our Learning Directory. Learn about mini gardens, topiaries and topiary forms, including bird houses and bird feeders while shopping our categories at HortiKids.com. Helping parents and educators teach kids about gardening and horticulture!

Make it a Great Day!

Kids of all ages enjoy being outside. And there is no better way to engage a child both mentally and physically than to teach him or her all there is to know about gardening and horticulture. Here's an idea - if you are a parent or teacher, tell your children that you will be growing pumpkins for Fall.

Let's say you wish to plant a row or two of pumpkins in a garden. You'll need a couple stakes and some string for starters. (It also helps to bring along some kids). Ask a child to hold one end of the string on one end of the intended row while you line up the other. Tie each end of the string a few inches off the ground to its respective stake once you have made a straight line. Now you will have a site line to help you plant your pumkin seeds in a neat row.

You'll need some garden tools such as a trowel, cultivator and possibly a garden hoe. Unearth an area if planting along a row, sow 2-4 seeds approximately 1"-2" in depth spaced every 16"-18" apart. Try and keep your rows 6'-8' apart since the pumpkin vines are very busy and can take up your whole garden area. Close your seed areas using your garden tools such as a hand trowel or garden hoe. Then be sure and water your newly planted row.

As you and the kids watch the seeds germinate and sprout into pumpkin vines, you'll be interested to learn that pumpkins are considered a squash fruit and grow as a gourd from a trailing vine. They can reach 40 lb. to 80 lb. in weight, but can be picked when they are much smaller than that in size.

Also, pumpkins are known botanically as a fruit, referring to how a plant grows from a flower. However, it is widely regarded as a vegetable since it is most often cooked and eaten in dishes such as pumpkin pie. Yum Yum!

Growing pumpkins to eat or enjoy for your Fall Festival is a fun gardening project and one that involves the use of all kinds of garden tools. For more ideas visit HortiKids.com and browse our categories of gardening resources that help you teach kids about gardening and horticulture. You can also find helpful articles while visiting our Learning Directory for other fun ideas and projects.

Make it a great Day in the Garden!

We'll outline below how to make a stepping stone and what materials you will need in addition to one of the Make Your Own Stepping Stone or Word Stone Kits which will be used in this learning exercise. If you are a teacher or a parent, you've selected a very fun project, one you and your kids will enjoy doing and enjoy using for a very long time to come.

Step 1: Prepare your work area, since you will be mixing your lightweight batch of concrete (included in the kit). Note: you will need additional concrete to make more stepping stones out of the forms included in the kit. Lay a plastic sheet on a flat surface where you will be working. Try and select an area which can remain un-disturbed for a few days as your stepping stones can setup. Take a black plastic trash bag (if you have one handy) and cut the edges to yield a large square plastic piece - fold it in two if you can so that you have a more durable work surface.

Step 2: Open the starter bag of lightweight concrete and add 3/4 cup of water and about a tablespoon of tint (as desired) to the bag. Mix the concrete and close off the bag with a twist tie, squishing it all around until it is well mixed. Pay attention to the corners of the bag so that they do not get clumpy with "un-squished" concrete. Add a few drops of water (it does not take much) so that your mix is somewhere between the consistency of "soft serve ice cream" and "hard ice cream." (It's always fun to serve some ice cream after the main event!)

Step 3: Dump the concrete mix from the bag to the form, pushing the concrete down into the form with the trowel. Be sure it gets flat and does not have any holes or openings within the mix on the sides or the bottom. It helps to push the mix down into all four corners of the garden stepping stone.

Step 4: Arrange the letters the way you would like them to appear on your garden stone on top of the concrete without pressing them down! Once they are arranged properly and to your liking, then press them down one at a time and remove them. Re-use the letter form if it is needed in the word you have chosen.

Step 5: Slowly lift the form straight up and off the concrete. If your concrete is firm, you can lift it all of the way up and remove. Smooth the stepping stone with your fingers for a light touch and rounded effect if needed. Then let the stepping stone dry for 48 hours as it cures. Note: if you are making your garden stone outside, lay a plastic sheet over it so that it stays a bit moist from the hot sun. If inside, keep little fingers away from it once completely finished!

Making stepping stones is a fun and easy project for kids of all ages. Whether you choose fingerprints or footprints, the garden stone will last a long time. Teaching kids about gardening and horticulture involves all types of projects, and includes those that keep hands busy. If you would like additional ideas for teaching kids gardening and horticulture, please visit our store at www.hortikids.com and browse our categories and Learning Directory for other fun ideas and projects.

Making HortiKids one Kid at a Time!