If you like gardening, the chances are the seed was sown when you were a child.

I used to garden with my mother and I just loved it.

It’s something that’s in my blood.

One of my earliest memories is planting nasturtium seeds all the way down the side of the lawn and my mother said they would soon turn into pretty flowers.

I found it hard to believe, but I remember looking at them coming out and the pleasure of seeing those seeds turn into flowers in a matter of weeks. That was the spark.

Gardening with children has lots of things going for it.

It’s a healthy, outdoor activity which can keep them away from slumping in front of the TV, computer games or iPad and it’s an activity that you can plan and enjoy doing together.

You don’t need a massive garden or an allotment, in fact, if you’re just starting out, it’s often better to stick to a small area and it doesn’t cost the earth to buy a few packets of seeds. As well as growing things, gardens are great places for children to explore.

There are bugs, slugs and wiggly worms just waiting to be examined by little fingers… yes, I know, yuck!

And you can encourage wildlife by choosing the plants you grow with this in mind.

For example, a buddleia will attract bees and butterflies in hundreds, in turn these insects will pollinate your flowers, which will help you get good crop of fruit and vegetables.

Sensory gardens are another way of prising children out into the great outdoors.

The idea is to use all your senses to explore.

In the interests of reporting for the Oxford Mail readers, I recently subjected my long- suffering children (aged 24 and 20) to a trip to the sensory garden at Kew.

It was packed full of under sevens, enjoying nature in a simple way. As for my over-20s? Well blow me down they loved it!

Firstly we had the excitement of having to take our shoes off and having to feel our way to the end, with closed eyes.

Could we make it without peeking? Well, of course not! Unlike the pre-schoolers who whizzed past fearlessly, eyes closed tight.

There were some clever ideas at Kew that could easily be incorporated into even a small outdoor space. For example, large and small logs, laid on edge to act as a walkway, some old felled trees with cobbles and sand in between, and a simple muddy (very muddy) pond. This, of course, was where the most fun was being had (needless to say wearing old clothes is a necessity for playing in gardens).

There is a huge variety of plants that lend themselves to a sensory garden. A good start is the scented geranium (also known as pelargonium), which has beautiful aromatic foliage. Another one that is a big hit with kids is the chocolate cosmos, with beautiful, maroon flowers that give off a chocolate/ vanilla scent. And don’t overlook herbs, many are easy to grow, smell great and are tasty too.

So, if you are running out of things to do with the children at this stage of the school holiday, try buying them a packet of seeds. You never know, you might be sowing the seeds of a future career.

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