how does your garden grow? this week's summer spotlight!

8 hours ago
8 min read

Monday, June 22, 2026

We hope you all had a great June weekend and Father's Day!

Welcome back to This Week's Summer Spotlight!

As we continue revisiting

some of our favorite summertime activities from years past,

we're digging into a classic that never seems to lose its appeal….

Garden fun with Littles!

Plus, we’ve got some fresh ideas for you, too!

Whether you have a sprawling backyard garden, a few flowerpots on the patio, or simply a handful of seeds and a little imagination, gardening offers endless opportunities for learning, exploring, and making memories together. From planting and watering to creating garden-inspired projects and discovering the wonders of nature, these simple activities invite children to get their hands dirty, nurture their curiosity, and watch a little magic grow. So grab a trowel, head outdoors, and join us as we revisit some fun and easy ways to enjoy the garden with the special Littles in your life!

Gardening… it’s such an amazing hobby

and one we can easily share with our Littles!

Below you’ll find a few of our favorite ideas - past and present!

While it’s been awhile,

below you’ll find 3 ideas we first shared in the summer of 2024!

They are still faves of ours and we hope you’ll agree!

#1 - Grass Head Friends!

This was an activity that Laurie did in school each year with kindergartners

who loved the idea of giving themselves a safe haircut!

She adapted the idea to give it a try with her own Littles - her grandchildren!!

The nice thing about this project is that grass seed generally grows pretty fast, so impatient young Littles see the finished result quickly!

MATERIALS NEEDED

*planting materials (cups/pots, dirt, grass seed)

*a picture of your Little’s face, trimmed to the very top of the head

*a spray bottle for watering

*clear packing tape

DIRECTIONS

1. Attach the picture of your Little to a cup. I did one of Little D and one of her little sister, Little P. I covered them with clear packing tape so water would not ruin the photos.

2. Fill the cup with dirt. Sprinkle grass seeds on the top. Cover with a thin layer of dirt.

3. Water each cup with a spray bottle. (A spray bottle works best as the slow spray does not drown the seeds like pouring water over them can do.) Plus, Littles LOVE when they can spray anything!

4. Set the Grass Head Friends outside or by a sunny window. Lightly water them daily. And wait……. When the grass grows to a reasonable length, your Littles will be ready to give themselves a haircut!!

Unless you have a young, wild kitty who will climb to great lengths

to explore a cup full of dirt and grass..

Luckily, the spilled cup belonged to the 7 month old who really didn’t care at all!

When we originally did this project, Little D was still a bit young to be able to cut the grass properly. She tried and pulled some out, so then I “helped” with the cutting.

Even though the cutting was a bit tricky for a 2 year old,

Little D enjoyed the planting and watering, and seeing herself with grass hair!

We call that a real success!

#2 - Seeds in a Bag!

Meanwhile, when Laura was teaching kindergarten,

this was a project she’d do with her students each spring.

It was a really effective way to show Littles how seeds sprout

and how the different parts of a plant (the roots, the stem, the leaves) emerge!

Plus, it was super easy to make and it could be used in a variety of ways!

Your Littles will be amazed that a seed can grow without any soil!

I’ve provided the set up and directions

as well as some possible ways to expand the project for older Littles, too!

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Ziploc bags (a sandwich or quart size bag for each person)

• paper towels

• bean or sunflower seeds (both of these grow fast!)

• a permanent marker & scotch/masking tape

DIRECTIONS

1. If more than one person will be making a bag of sprouting seeds, use a permanent marker to write a name on each bag.

2. Dampen a paper towel, fold it and place it in a Ziploc bag. Place 5-6 soaked seeds at the bottom of one side of a bag. Be sure that the seeds are touching the paper towel.

3. Shut the bag and hang it in a window using scotch or masking tape. Make sure that your Littles can see the seeds in the bag so they can easily observe any changes that take place!

4. Watch and wait!!! Within a day or two you should see the seeds begin to sprout. Within 3 days to a week, you will have fully sprouted seeds and, soon after, you’ll see the seed start to break away and leaves begin to emerge!

One day after planting and then two days later!

For Older Littles…

Take this experiment a step farther! Have older Littles measure the progress their plants make as they grow! Your Littles can also plant different types of seeds, each kind in a different Ziploc bag. Have your Little watch to see which type of seed sprouts first, which one last, which one grows the fastest and so on! Finally, once a plant has established, pull it from the bag and look at all the parts.

If you have a magnifying glass, use that to take a close look!

#3 - A DIY Greenhouse!

Here’s another activity to try with older Littles!

Rather than planting seeds in a Ziploc bag,

plant them in a greenhouse that you and your Little create together!

OR…

once seeds have sprouted in the Ziploc bags and grown a bit

you can transplant those seeds into your DIY greenhouse, too!

You don’t need many materials to make your very own DIY greenhouse but the effort will certainly be worth it!

MATERIALS NEEDED

• a recycled plastic bottle (a water bottle or a 2-liter one works well), washed & dried

• an exacto knife and/or a pair of scissors

• potting soil

• bean seeds OR a bean seedling

• water (we use a spray bottle)

DIRECTIONS

1. If using a water bottle, cut it in half. If using a 2-liter bottle, cut it about 4 inches from the bottom. Keep the top of the bottle (it will become the lid of your greenhouse).

2. Fill the bottom half of the bottle with soil. Show your Little how to use his/her index finger to push down into the soil about ½ inch. Plant 1-2 seeds if using a water bottle and plant 4-6 seeds if using a 2-liter bottle.

3. Cover each seed slightly with soil. Spray some water on the soil to moisten it. You will need to do this every few days as it will be important to keep the soil slightly wet. Put your DIY greenhouse in a sunny spot. Once again it's TIME TO WATCH AND WAIT! Within a week you should see your seeds begin to sprout!

SURPRISE!

Once established, these seeds can then be transplanted

into a pot or the garden, too!

Another fun experience for your little gardeners!

Joining the three past ideas above, are these 3 new activities

that have quickly become faves for us, as well!

#1 - Plant Parts!

Recently, Laurie’s Little D participated in Gardens & Plants week

at the summer camp offered through her wonderful preschool program.

Little D came home from preschool with a worksheet,

that reminded me of one I used each year when teaching kindergarten…

Label the Parts of a Plant!

I decided to take this idea one step farther. I went into my garden and pulled a single flower from my garden so LIttle D could not only label the parts of a real plant, but could also feel and touch them as well! I also made my own worksheet for her with the same words/labels provided!

Little D was so intrigued that she got to cut a real plant.

As she cut the plant apart, she laid the different parts next to the correct word. Then we read the words when she was done, using the plant parts and the beginning sound of each word to “read” each label!

This was such a fun project!

#2 - Garden Hide and Seek!

When Little L and Little P come for a spring or summer visit,

their grandpa (Laura’s hubby) loves spending time in the yard with them!

He loves having these Littles as his special helpers!

During a recent spring visit to our home, we gathered some favorite stuffed animals (and little plastic ones, too) and played a few rounds of Hide and Seek in Grandpa’s flower pots and landscaping!

We simply took turns hiding the animals in the plants and pots and then had fun seeking and finding them all! Do you see our Pretty Ponies, the giraffe and the elephant hiding?

We’ve played this game many times since!

In fact, we’ve even played a virtual version, during a FaceTime call or two!

#3 - Counting Flowers!

Laurie and her Littles had fun with this counting activity,

while working in the garden!

🌼 😊 🌼

Make some flowers out of paper and attach each to a pipe cleaner. Write a different number on each flower, considering what numbers are appropriate for your Little’s age and understanding.