Planting seeds and bulbs is a fantastic job for Autumn, and it’s one of our kids favourite.

Help Your Kids Grow Seeds And Bulbs

Each year we have a shopping day to pick some new flower bulbs plant up some pots full of bulbs as we plan and dream about Spring for next year.

Tulip bulb shopping with the kids, kids love to learn about plants. Use bulbs to teach kids about flowers and seeds, lifecycles and colour.

Our soil is thick clay which isn’t good for the best bulbs so we line the side of the house with pot after pot of fantastic Spring bulbs like daffodil crocus, allium, tulip as well as sowing our own wallflowers.

Like Most Things In Life, Seeds and Bulbs Need The Right Conditions To Grow.

Bulbs like drier conditions and don’t like to sit in wet sticky soil. If your garden has sandy dry soil, you can plant these bulbs directly in your garden.

If you have wet and sticky soil like we do though, it’s a good idea to add some grit to the planting hole. An even better idea is to do what we do and put the bulbs in a pot.

We grow the bulbs in a pot until they are ready to flower, then dig a hole and pop the hole pot in the ground. This way the flower bed gets instant colour but the bulbs are easy to lift in the Summer and can be kept dry and ready to grow again next Autumn.

Planting bulbs with kids. Help your kids grow bulbs and see how they bloom.

We love to plant a few extra in pots indoors, I can show the kids how seeds and bulbs grow with hands on experience.

It is wonderful to watch as the bulb starts to produce roots around its base. The kids get a thrill watching the white snake- like roots wind their way downward in search of water to help their roots grow.

After the roots find moisture and nutrients the young green shoots begin to grow it will develop its real leaves.

After it has its own leaves, then it is completely capable of producing its own food. Plants manage this through a process of photosynthesis.

The Spring garden wouldn't be the same without seeds and bulbs planted in the fall. Whether it's in containers, borders, or in pots there will be a wonderful show of flowers. Help your kids by planting bulbs in autumn to see them bloom.

Photosynthesis is the process where the plants are able to convert sunlight into food.

Activities With Seeds And Bulbs

To encourage the kids to develop an interest in seeds and bulbs into growing plants we regularly introduce different activities based around seeds and bulbs.

Autumn in the UK is when we plant our bulbs for the new Spring. There are so many different types of plants not to mention varieties to pick from. We pick 3 or 4 different types each year and pot them up.

Planting Tulip bulbs is a fantastic activity for kids.

We also use the bulbs to learn as much as we can about the plants we’re growing.

Why are bulbs all different sizes?
We identify the different parts of the bulb and flower.
Then we check out how to plant them and whats the best way for each variety.
We look at pollination and where seeds and bulbs are produced and what types of seeds we can find.
Also, we look at the growing conditions each one likes and where the best place it for each type of plant.

With the younger children we use plastic cups and water beads to show them how the bulbs produce roots.

Top the cups up with water and sit the bulb on top of the beads so the roots can search the water out.

Help your kids grow bulbs to learn about the natural world.

Cute right?

We show our kids how to plant seeds directly into the ground too by making Seed bombs. This is a fun way to plant seeds and perfect for little hands.

Simply tear up some brown wrapping paper or newspaper into small pieces and soak them in a bowl of water, stirring them in. Try squashing them with your hands to break them up a little.
Once the paper is mushy and completely soaked, flatten a piece in your hand
Sprinkle over some of your chosen seeds and then cover the seeds with more wet paper and roll into a ball.
Squeeze out all the water. The drier you get the ball the quicker it will be ready to dry.

Wrap your ball in coloured tissue paper to smooth the balls and keep any escaping seeds from falling off as it dries.

Leave to dry for a couple of days for them to dry and then ‘plant’ them in an area in need of brightening up.

We planted some on our favourite river walk, near woodland, and we put one in a pot at the front door so the kids can see the seedlings coming up close at hand.

So,What is a bulb?

Some plants grow from bulbs.

Bulbs are simply large seeds that contain a complete store of food to help each seed grow and develop into a seedling capable of making its own food from the sun. Kinda like a packed lunch.

There are many different types of seeds and bulbs; corms, rhizomes and tubes are also forms of seeds with food storage to help the growing plant inside develop correctly.

To teach kids how plants grow is to teach them about life cycles and the seasons and give them a wonderful connection to the rhythms of nature.

Some wonderful ways to help kids reconnect to nature can be found here and to find out why your kids should love nature check out here but looking at seeds and bulbs is a great start.

Whether its edible or floral seeds and bulbs like garlic, onions, tulip bulbs or crocus bulbs or pumpkin, poppy, marigold. There is a lot to learn so why not try…

Help your kids plant their own garden? Whether its an edible space or strictly full of pretty flower your kids will love their own space.
Teach kids about planting bulbs by planting with different sized bulbs
Cut them open and allow kids to see their insides. Try bulbs like Tulips, daffodils, , hyacinths, onions, garlic, or alliums are good choices for beginners. You can find bulbs for sale online or in your local garden centre.
Its important to discuss the different types of seeds and bulbs and the way they grow. Each group of plants has different growing habits and requirements.
Look at how the seasons affect the plant choices you make. There are seeds, bulbs and plants suitable for every colour, season and enviroment.

Be adventurous and creative with seeds and bulbs, try out something different today, your kids will love learning a new skill and engaging their imagination and you’ll be amazed when your chosen seens or bulbs begin to flourish next year.

For some other Autumn activities to try check out these Kids Garden Activities For Autumn.