how does your garden grow? this week's summer spotlight!
- Jun 22
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 8
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.
Littles will have fun threading the matching number of beads onto each stem!
Count and watch your garden grow!
There are so many fabulous directions you can go with this theme!
Let your Littles - toddler and older - dig in the dirt!
LET THEM GET DIRTY!
Have fun digging for worms together!
Let your Littles help you with tasks like watering...
let them use a spray bottle to do so!
Older Littles, with a bit of guidance, can help plant, weed
and even gather the garden’s harvest!
Nibble on a few treats straight from the garden!
Go on a Garden Scavenger Hunt in search of different plants and creatures!
Plant a mini herb garden in an egg carton!
Start a compost pile with your Littles!
Celebrate the garden and all it provides!
Are you a gardener? Do you ever garden with the Littles in your life?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
Please share your ideas in the comment section at the end of this post!
Most weeks, you’ll find us posting additional content on
You can find lots of resources (including past years' summer themes)
on our Pinterest site, too…
We’ve got quite a collection of ideas available!
We hope you’ll stop by often in the months ahead to check out future
Summer Spotlights and more!
We’ll be back later this week with another new post!
And, don’t forget, it’s easy to sign up to subscribe to our blog!
That way, you won’t miss it when we publish a new post!
While gardening is not an activity that brings instant gratification,
it can provide valuable lessons for us to share with our Littles!
Gardening is a wonderful way to teach Littles about the outdoor world around us
and it’s a great reminder that many of the best things in life
are definitely worth waiting for!
.
So, get a little dirt under your fingernails and remember…
Some of the sweetest memories grow from the simplest seeds!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR FEATURING OUR POST!
A Morning Cup of Joe from The Cottage Market
You Are the Star from At Home with Lisa Jung
You are the Star from God's Growing Garden
You are the Star from Moms Are Frugal
You are the Star from Butterfly in the Attic
Thank you for featuring this post on your sites!
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Oh my gosh these garden activities are awesome! You guys are so creative.
Thanks so much for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friends. I'm so happy you're here.
These are all such wonderful ideas! Takes me back to my preschool-teaching days. We had a small co-op class of moms from my church congregation who would take turns teaching. The garden is a wonderful topic. Plants are so miraculous. Thanks for sharing this with us at the Will Blog for Comments #87 linkup! We hope to see you sharing again (old posts or new) at #88 which opens Monday morning. Hope your week is great!
Your garden looks so full of life—soft blooms, bright colors, and those little surprises that make summer feel gentle and joyful. I love all the garden activities! Thank you for sharing with us.
Steph@CrazyLittleLovebirds
I remember doing this with my children when they were young! They were fascinated to see how the seeds transform and groew roots and leaves. They now have "green thumbs" and love to take care of house plants and grow vegetable gardens each summer.
So, let's see if the comments are playing nicely for me this time ;-) The idea with the grass "hair" is so cute! It would also be a good idea to tell them they might not want to cut doll hair, the regret can be immense (haven't done it myself, but a friend did and was not happy because the hair didn't grow back).