OK, it’s time for more gardening and nature fun with Mud & Bloom!
I’m much more on top of things than last month, and there are some lovely things to explore in this month’s box.
What’s going on this month? There’s a detailed information card about what’s going on in nature this month, plus a little quiz on the back to see what you’ve learned. There’s also a list of things to spot, in this case butterflies. They’re all coming out at this time of year, and it’s lovely to see them fluttering about. As it happened Little C recently visited the Butterfly House at the wonderful Horniman Museum so she was rather ahead of the game on butterfly spotting!
Our seeds to plant this month are Calendula and Beetroot. As always, you get the seed packets, lolly sticks to label your containers, and four peat pellets for planting.
You soak the peat pellets in water, and then pop in your seeds. We’ve run out of tiny seed pots, so instead we’re using egg cartons. They are very handy because being biodegradable you can put them straight in the ground when it’s time to plant out your seedlings.
There are also two lovely crafts. There’s a nature journal, which includes a cute little self-adhesive zigzag paper strip. The idea is you go on a walk and collect lovely things, such as flowers, leaves, and feathers. These are stuck into your little journal to make a memento of your walk.
The other craft was to Make a Jam Jar Lantern. Little C was very keen on this one! There was a lovely set of acrylic paints in the box, plus a brush. There’s also a citronella tealight in the box, which you can use in your lantern.
You needed to provide a jam jar of course, but we always have jars around. Raid the recycling box! Then it was just a question of painting patterns on the jar. (I totally got painting envy, so I painted one too.)
They look pretty, huh? I must get hold of a couple more tealights.
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As always this is a lovely selection of things to grow and make. I must confess Little C and I are not huge fans of beetroot. That being said, homegrown things always taste better, so if they grow it’ll be worth trying again.
I’m very curious to see what happens with the calendula seeds. I’ve heard of the plant, but didn’t actually know anything about it. Thanks to Wikipedia we discovered it’s edible, both petals and leaves, and it has a ton of therapeutic uses too!
The jam jar craft is such a lovely idea, and something that can be repeated again and again. It’s very sensible to provide a citronella candle, as they repel mosquitoes and other biting bugs. You can sit outside in the evening and not worry about getting nibbled!
Mud & Bloom is such a lovely way to help your child learn about and appreciate nature and gardening. I have to say that I’m also remarkably ignorant of such things (I blame my incredibly urban childhood) so I’ve learned a great deal as well. The guidance, nature notes, and crafts are at just the right level to engage children, and the process of growing plants encourages both patience and curiosity.
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Speaking of which, here’s a little update on our plants!
Tomatoes from the February box.
Sunflowers from the March Box. Look how big they are!
Happy planting, I hope you see lots of butterflies!
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Quick blurb and pricing from the website:
A box costs £7.95 a month inclusive of shipping if you’re based in the UK.
Get 20% discount off your first box with the code FIRSTBOX20
The boxes are for 3-8 year olds and will be delivered through your letter box at the beginning of each month.
Each box includes everything you need for two seasonal activities: one gardening and one nature craft – along with instructions, quizzes and games aimed at teaching children about the seasons, plants, insects, birds, soil and rainfall.
Activities have been created by qualified teachers and they support the national curriculum with influence from Forest School, Steiner and Montessori education.
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