When the warmer period of the year approaches, we actually want to go outside. But that is not so obvious in the Netherlands. If we want to make a start during a free afternoon or during the weekend, you can also bring the garden and everything that goes with it inside for your child and make a start.
Grow box
The best known is the breeding tank. For sale in all shapes and sizes at the DIY and garden shops. See for yourself which seeds you put in the special soil (which is often included) and perhaps it is best if it is something that your child also wants to eat. Pay attention to where you place the greenhouse, because that can make the difference between successfully growing plants together with your child or something that has little chance of success and that also makes repetition less fun for your child.
- Sun, put the greenhouse in a place in the house that receives the sun as much as possible. It is therefore most useful for the window, but in such a way that the greenhouse receives all the sun of the day (especially if it still shines to a limited extent).
- Make sure that there is no draft on the plants to be germinated (a lid is included and leave this on).
- Make sure the soil remains slightly moist (a plant sprayer is the easiest).
- Place the greenhouse so that your child can also see the germination process.
- Take a daily look with your child to instill awareness and the reason to talk about nature.
Make your own bowl
If you want to let your child make his own greenhouse, take an empty egg carton and carefully tap the cup off the eggs. The eggs can be used to bake a tasty egg for bread and you can use the bowls to grow your plants.
Put cotton wool in the empty eggshells, make sure they are (and remain) moist and sprinkle cress seeds on top. Cover it with some plastic wrap and within a week you will see cress plants appear.
Working outside
If you want to continue, you can of course always make a greenhouse outside. But in addition to space, that also requires more to allow the plants to grow. Therefore, start with relatively simple plants such as tomatoes or strawberries. This is fine in a pot, but make sure that they are not in a draft.
Homemade aquarium
Lid
A real aquarium can be very beautiful, but often not easy for a smaller child to keep. You can make a mini aquarium by taking a clean pot with screw lid and sticking a nice plastic flower and possibly a plastic plant on the inside of the lid (these are also for sale in a real aquarium). Let the glue dry well. In the meantime, to make the cap invisible, you can already cut out a border of grass with some flowers. You glue this on the edge of the lid.
Inside
Then you get to work on the inside and for that you grab nice multicolored glitter and maybe something nice that you want to float in the water (lightweight), you even have mini fish that can fit in the jar. Now put water in the pot and add the glitter (and any other stuff). Screw the covered lid (inside and outside) onto the pot and make sure that the lid is screwed tight and that no more water can get out. Turn the whole thing over and shake it once in a while to see everything move in the water.
Photos
For this subject you will have to go outside and take your child with you to take pictures of nature. Take photos when you see something worthwhile and let your child watch it too (and if it is a little older, possibly let him take his own photos). Take different subjects and preferably different moments in nature. At home you make a mood board and you discuss the moment in nature on the basis of a photo and / or let your child draw a situation or make something that has to do with it. Some examples:
- Mushrooms that grow on a tree
- A snail on a plant
- A bird in the tree
- A bud on the plant (which should become a leaf)
- Tufts of moss on a dead piece of wood
- Homemade nest of twigs
Water beads
Water beads are nice to see, because they are multicolored and can be used in different ways. Water beads are reusable and so you can put them in a nice pot on the table when your child is playing at the table or you can put them in a glass vase with flowers on the table. The water beads slowly swell up and that gives a nice effect. You can take them out of the water and use them the next time.
Finally
It goes without saying that your child gets to know and appreciate nature best if you take him / her with you more often and your child experiences nature for himself. But if the moment is not there or you do not have nature in the immediate vicinity, you can do everything at home to get started.