January
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January is the beginning of the gardening year – a time for fresh starts, renewed energy, and grand plans for the twelve months ahead.
Jobs in the garden this month are mostly about keeping things trim and tidy, and getting ready for the year to come.
There is not actually much to grow in January and instead you can enjoy all the wonders of Winter.
Also start making a plan for the year ahead. What is going to grow where, what resources do you need and when do you need to start getting things.
Core Activities
Birds
•Borrow some books from the local library all about different birds you might find in the garden.
•Print off bird finding sheet and take it outside to see what birds you can see and hear.
•Cooking activity. You can make chocolate bird nests.
•Make a range of bird feeders. You can see in the photos a range of different ideas that are simple for children to do. Just be aware that some of them use Peanut Butter so be careful of any staff or children with allergies.
•Make binoculars with toilet rolls and string. These will “help us find the birds” and focus on nature around us.
Useful Links
Christmas Trees and Branches
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Ask families and businesses to donate their old Christmas trees they do not need any more. With some sheers you can cut the branches off. The trunk of the trees are really useful for building structures like dens and the branches are excellent for making wings to fly and the walls of our dens.
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You could use ropes, tarps, etc to expand on the den they make. Can you build a den big enough for two people? etc
Build Bug Hotel
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You could build a big bug hotel using pallets like the one in the photos or some smaller bug hotels around the outdoor area. The smaller ones can be made of yoghurt pots, old gardening pots, etc. Children can then make their choices for what they want to go in the hotel.
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What bugs would we like to live in here? Simple discussion about the different bugs that could live in their, spiders, beetles and woodlice. What would they like in their new home?
Outdoor Yoga
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This is better if you can get little mats to sit on. I spoke to local carpet sellers who had some carpet samples to get rid of. These little rectangles were perfect for yoga inside and outside. You can find cards with images on that you can use as a guide and children can take it in turns to choose the next pose.
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The one thing to focus on between the fun and movement is to stop still and listen. If you can support the children to sit still with their eyes closed and focus on what they can hear this is brilliant. We used to do this sat down with our eyes closed or lying down. We could use a sand timer if this helps.
Other Activities
Bird Display and Painting
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Using the books we borrowed from the library and photos we have taken of birds can we paint pictures of them. We could all work together on a big tree painting that the bird paintings could “sit on”.
Make a Wonder Tray
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Make a special tray inside for all the wonderful things we have found outside. They could be on the way to us or during the day. At group time later we can discuss them in more detail.
Winter Walk
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Could you go for a short walk and collect winter treasures. You might not need to go far to find pine cones, twigs, bark, feathers and frost covered leaves.
Ice Investigation
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If you spot ice in the garden use it as an opportunity to learn about ice. How does it melt? How does it feel?
What to grow
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Unfortunately not really much to grow or even get started on a windowsill this month. You can use this time to prepare all that you will need for the following months. Make sure pots are ready, you have spades and trowels and all your spaces you want to grow veg in is weed free.
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What to get ready for next month
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Next month the growing will start so make sure areas are ready and pots are ready.
Stories and Songs
See what books your local library has. Some fiction and non fiction would be brilliant.
Two Little Dickie Birds is a great song that is easy to learn.
Links to home
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What birds can you see in your own garden or when at home?
This is a great way for children to share their learning with parents and carers at home. They can talk about the different birds they have seen or been reading about and see if they can spot them in their own garden. They could ask an adult to send in a photo of a bird they see in their garden or they could draw a picture to bring in.
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Send a bird feeder home
If a child has a garden at home they could make a spare bird feeder to take home.
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Home Mindfulness
Encourage families to sit quietly outdoors for 1 min together. What do they hear, smell or feel?
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Four Week Plan
