Whether the December holidays already feel never-ending, or you just want to encourage your little ones to spend some time in the fresh air (and give the screens a break for a few hours), here are five ideas to keep them busy in the garden these holidays. Remember, always apply sunscreen if you’re going to be spending time outdoors!

Let them explore the tastes and textures of their own herb garden

Mark a little corner of the garden as “theirs” and take them to your closest Stodels Garden Centre and help them pick out a few seedlings and seeds of their favourite herbs, explaining what they’ll taste like and how you can cook with them. Encourage them to water the herbs regularly and check for pests, and then celebrate the fruits of their labour when the herbs are ready for picking and use in the family’s favourite recipe. Rosemary, mint and basil are all versatile and delicious starter herbs.

Art + insects = hours of fun and exploration

Give them a sketch pad or a few sheets of paper, pencils, crayons and paints and tell them to surprise you with what they can find in the garden to draw, from clouds to plants and bugs to trees. You can make it a weekly challenge so they can see how their garden changes throughout the seasons – and with the changes your fridge “art” too!

Tip: You can collate the top 12 drawings throughout the year into a home-made seasonal calendar. Download a free monthly calendar and add your favourite artwork to the page above it.

Create an insect scavenger hunt

Everyone loves a scavenger hunt. Send the kids out with a pencil and paper to draw (or a phone to take photographs of) any insects they spot and see how many different critters they can find in an hour. Afterwards, you can sit together and see how many they can identify.

Tip: Remind your children to always observe bugs from a distance and to not interfere or touch them, as they could hurt the bugs or worse, be bitten by them. 

All about wiggly, wriggly worms

Worm farms are easy to assemble and provide an opportunity for a real-life science experiment! All you need is a styrofoam box, compost for bedding, newspaper, soil and some compost worm.

After a few weeks, your little ones can start adding fruit and vegetable scraps to the farm and watch their wiggly worm friends work their magic. It’s the perfect opportunity to explain why the garden needs healthy soil, and let them help you spread the compost over the flowerbeds.

Let them try their hand at rock art

Grab a few tubes of acrylic paint in fun colours and let your kids have fun painting rocks and pebbles on the grass. From ladybirds to frogs, butterflies and flowers, the paintings will not only keep them busy for hours, but also make adorable additions to any gifts you have planned for friends and family this Christmas.