Groovy Gardens

The Basic Idea

Combine gardening, movement and music all together by creating a planting shaker. Place some seeds in a compostable plant pot with some large holes in the bottom and get shaking!

Over to You, Wee One

Play around with how you shake the seeds out – you could dance along and make it a full body movement. Or you could play some music and shake along to the beat. Revisit the patch of the garden – maybe the plants need to see you all stretching up as high as you can to know how to sprout?

Cheeky Bonuses

• STEM: helps wee ones learn about nature, growth and change
• Weaving in music to everyday ideas can engage children who either aren’t sure about music, or don’t like being outdoors

Variations

• Don’t have a garden? Shake some cress seeds into a tray for your windowsill (and wait for lunch to grow!)
• Once the seeds have been shaken around, can you spot them? Digging in the dirt and picking up seeds is great for fine motor development

And Remember...

It doesn’t matter if every single seed grows. If your wee one’s shaking technique is a little haphazard go back and plant a few properly later for them to see. The main focus is letting them express themselves and move!