My family went to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival for the first time this year.  Talk about beautiful!  Absolutely stunning flowers, trees, fruits and vegetables planted all over!  It was an amazing site!  It really inspired me to want to do a few projects this summer with my kids!  We are always looking for fun outside activities that can get us out of the house!  I got some really great ideas from the festival!

 In addition to the flowers, there were many edible gardens throughout as well.   We visited one garden in particular (sponsored by GoGosqueeZ) that had some amazing ideas for getting kids active in the garden!  Here are some ideas that I walked away with, knowing that I wanted to do them at home:

• Planting a themed garden in a single pot.  This idea was brilliant!  Take a theme, my son liked salsa, and in a single pot, plant what you would use in that dish.  Easy!  Then label your garden (ours was the Salsa Garden)!  Once garden grows, you are set to make a fun dish with everything you grew from your one pot!
• Stepping stones for the garden.  This is a fun art project that will give your kids some ownership in the garden!  Have them decorate stones with paint to place throughout your garden!  You might even use them as a marker to remind you of what you planted in that spot!
• Clay Pot Bird Baths.  I had never thought to do this with a clay pot!  Paint both the pot and the dish.  Then use the pot, turned upside down, and place/ glue the bottom plate on top!  Super simple!  And looks great in your garden!
• Where does your garden grow?  Do an experiment with your kids to see who can find something in your house that would be an alternative container for a planting pot?  A shoe maybe?  A cardboard box?  An empty milk jug?  A tin can?  This is also a great lesson to teach about reusing household items for creating something new! Remember: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle! 

Why kind of garden could you plant?  What else could you grow a plant in?  It is always fun to grow your own food!

For more ideas on getting outside with your kids, visit FitKidsPlayground.com

Written By: Marisa Langford, Fit Kids Playground