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Know your critters
Click here to download your Scavenger Hunt Sheet. We all know about bees and how important they are, because, well, they’re cute. But what about the brown and grey unloved little beings that live underground, that work very hard all year round to sustain the earth? So who are they, and what do they do? In general,…
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Growing with the seasons
This is the question I get asked by schools: “How will this work? The students are on summer holidays when the flowers and fruits are ready for harvesting.” I get asked this question, too: “Should we start in spring?” I always say, working with the soil is something you do as a part of your…
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Cactus Pete (and his smelly feet)
Cactus Pete’s family came from A hot country with desert heat Where the sun shines constantly And it rains only a tiny little bit. But the Cactus Petes are fine With just a little water they grow They collect moisture with their spikes The smartest plants you will ever know. Now, Cactus Pete lives in…
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October’s Plant of the Month: Ox-eye daisy
One of the lovely plants that is featured in Handbook for Budding Little Gardeners is the ox eye daisy (leucanthemum vulgare). Why it is important to grow ox eye daisies Many would consider ox eye daisies a weed because they grow everywhere and without anyone planting them in the first place! But they are very…
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Growing plants from cuttings
For me, there is nothing more satisfying than growing plants from cuttings, rather than buying them ready grown. There’s such excitement when you see new roots emerging from your cuttings. This is the roots of the cheese plant named Franky Big Cheese. He looks like a little man with tiny legs and a big face.…
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Apple and berry oat crumble
In autumn, apples abound in community orchards and berries are popping out profusely. This is a wonderful, simple recipe to get young children to start on the wholly satisfying journey of cooking and eating the food they grow or forage. NOTE: If you live in a country where you can’t access apples and berries, you…
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Growing Garlic – Introducing Children to Agricultural Economy
This afternoon, I was planting garlic into compostable cups for the Permaculture Festival on September 23rd and 24th in Lambourne End. The garlic seed I was planting were organic garlic from the Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight that are specially for planting (Gardeners’ World recommends not using supermarket garlic for planting). I put…
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Please give me a name
Hello, I am a spotted begonia. I look like a dragon. But I don’t have a name yet. Please can you think of one for me? Names are special. And because names are special, is very important to say someone’s name correctly. This is because your name is about you, your parents, your culture and…
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“Do bread grow on trees?”
In developed countries, we are often far removed from the source of our food. For example, though bread is a staple in the modern diet, a large proportion of children do not know how their bread is made or exactly where the loaf comes from. As adults, without that basic knowledge of food, they are…
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Before you go on holiday …
The holiday season is a time of excitement for us humans. But plants – living beings which I believe are sentient – worry and fear for their survival when their humans lock up the house to go away on holiday. Because we have taken plants away from their natural habitat, they are completely dependent on…
Cheese Plant Books 