June Monthly Newsletter

Engage Young Gardeners: Simple Flower Projects with Big Rewards

There’s still time! Now is an excellent time to engage those budding gardeners with a project of their own. Not only do easy flower gardens provide a multitude of valuable environmental lessons for children, but they also give them something of their own to nurture, love and care for. Conditions are perfect for growing – lots of heat and sun… AND remember to water!!

We would recommend both zinnia and sunflower for summer planting. Both germinate very, very quickly with full sunlight and consistent watering … and then you wait for the blooms. Expect a 3 (yup!) to 10-day germination period (usually about five for us) and a wait of about two months (zinnia) and 3 months (sunflowers) for blooms. This varies greatly depending on seed varieties which is part of the fun!

*** Follow those directions on the back of the seed packet***

What to do during this wait?

• Observe and document! Preschoolers and older children can document/journal through pictures and/or narrative what is seen as the growing process evolves. “Diary of My Plant”? So many great ways to do this and of course the library has excellent books to engage all ages along the way …

• Incorporate Math! Measurement comes to mind. Little ones can use describing words “smallest,” “small” and “big.” Have the older kids use measuring tools and graph (pictograph , bar, draw comparisons?). May sound geeky but there is always a way to incorporate these important concepts…

• Illustrate! From basic (crayons) to advanced (watercolors), a portrait of a flower is always beautiful…

• Who is eating the new flower or plant? A fun time to learn about “good” bugs/” bad bugs” and of course our beloved pollinators!

Of course we are all about flowers here at PP, but growing veggies offers children valuable lessons in horticulture too. We see plants for sale at the King George Farmer’s Market with fruit (tomatoes) already so you can even skip the seed step if you like. 

So much to grow and learn and of course, having fun is ALWAYS the goal…so, enjoy! 😊