Simple Summers ~ Learning AND Fun

Kids love nothing more than being out of school and summer time.  Sometimes it can be a challenge finding things for them to do that will keep them both interested AND busy.  Today we kept it simple and just got out the hose.

We intend to continue to keep it simple for the rest of the summer.


We will work in our container garden.
We will play OUTSIDE

We will visit the local library.
We will visit museums
We will attend cultural festivals/expo
...and more

These are just a few of the things that are planned for my LittleChick this summer.  I must add that I will not be accomplishing all of these things with my daughter on my own.  I do have a job.  My village (My husband, mother, sister, and neighbor) will all help.

What do you have planned for your kids this summer?

Thanks for reading.

Peace :-)

Container Garden 2012

My LittleChick and I are at again!  At the beginning of April we started our beloved container garden.  We had such success with last years venture that it this year was a no brainer.   One thing that we didn't know is that some of the things that we planted before actually come back from year to year.  We now know the difference between Perennials (Life cycle 3+ years), Annuals (1 year) and Biennials (2 years).
  

Romaine

On April 1st we planted:  Cucumbers, Spinach, Onions, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Lettuce, Romaine, Carrots, Kale, and Collards.
On April 14th we planted: Oregano, Thyme, Basil, Cilantro
On May 5th we planted: Bell Peppers

Kale

Collards

We are having so much fun with this.  My daughter rushes home from school everyday and immediately goes out to check on her plants.  She really nurtures her crop.   Watering daily and notifying me of any differences that she sees.  

Spinach

Starting a container garden is easy.  Here is what we did to get started.  We logged on to one of the popular seed websites to find out what "zone" we are in.  This tells you what can be planted and when based on the climate that you live in.  Once that was determined we decided on what we would grow and we purchased the seeds, premium potting soil and pots.  We simply followed the planting instructions on the seed packets and stood back to watch it all grow.  Container gardens are EASY.  No bugs.  No muss.  No fuss.  There is NOTHING like stepping right outside your house and grabbing everything you need to make a fresh salad.  I cant wait  until we can do that.

Lettuce

Do you have a garden or container garden?  What are you growing?

Thanks for reading.

Peace

Container Gardening

YES! I am giving it a try.  There is this real conscious sistah that I follow on twitter, @RaquelDog.  She has been tweeting a lot lately about her garden, as well as sharing pics.  She takes so much pride in what she does and her blooms are so beautiful.  Everything happens for a reason... I was looking for something educational to do with my LittleChick for the summer. So I looked into it. With container gardening, we can do it right out on our sunny deck and who doesnt want to grow and eat their own food, right?  So there you have it.  I checked out a few websites first, then we hit up Home Depot on Saturday night and I got what I thought we needed. 
Here is what we decided to grow:

Cilantro
Thyme
Basil

Oregano 
Parsley
Chamomile
Onion
Green Bell Peppers
Cucumber
Chives

At first I was headed for the established plants, but then i thought what's the fun in that, so we hit up the seeds.  Lucky for me we found some window kits, that had the containers, the seeds, and the dirt all together, so i got a few varieties of those. Then we swapped out the seeds that came with our own selections. I also got some bigger planters & moisture control soil for later when we move the seedlings.

My LittleChick was very excited about getting this going!  She wanted to start immediately.  Luckily, it was a bright & beautiful day on Sunday.  We sat together, we read all of the directions, we planned out our seeds, labeled the containers, activated the dirt pellets (yeah i said dirt pellets, give me a break ok?!)  and we sowed our seeds.

  ...As I watched her running her fingers through that fresh dirt, and smelling it, and laughing...  And I watched her amazement at the tinyness of the seeds and listened to her inquiries about how will it grow and why?  I knew that we were creating memories.  I truly enjoyed our time together and I cant wait to see what will be produced.  I will definately keep you posted!

Thanks for reading.
Peace :-)