Looking for a fun way to get kids outside this summer?
Pollinator Week is the perfect opportunity to introduce children to gardening while teaching them about bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and the important role they play in our environment.
Here are five simple activities that are both fun and educational.
1. Create Your Own Sedum Dish Garden
Let kids design their own miniature garden using colourful sedums and decorative containers.
Sedums are easy to grow, drought tolerant, and come in a variety of colours and textures, making them perfect for young gardeners.
Kids will love choosing their plants and watching their garden grow over time.
2. Explore the Garden Using Your Five Senses
Gardens are full of sights, sounds, smells, textures, and even tastes.
Challenge children to discover:
1. Something colourful
2. A buzzing bee or singing bird
3. A fragrant flower or herb
4. A fuzzy leaf or smooth stone
5. A garden-safe edible herb (with adult supervision)
This activity encourages observation while helping kids connect with nature.
3. Become a Pollinator Detective
Grab a notebook and head outside.
How many pollinators can you spot?
Children can look for:
• Bees
• Butterflies
• Hummingbirds
• Hoverflies
• Beetles
Keep track of sightings and see which flowers attract the most visitors.
4. Plant a Pollinator-Friendly Flower Pot
Choose a container and fill it with pollinator favourites such as:
• Coneflower
• Black-Eyed Susan
• Salvia
• Bee Balm
• Marigolds
Kids can water, care for, and observe the pollinators that visit throughout the summer.
5. Build a Bee Watering Station
Pollinators need water too.
Fill a shallow dish with water and add stones or pebbles for insects to safely land on while drinking.
Place it in a sunny garden location and watch for visiting bees and butterflies.
Growing More Than Plants
Gardening helps children learn patience, responsibility, and an appreciation for nature.
Whether they're planting flowers, observing pollinators, or creating their own mini gardens, every activity helps build a lifelong connection to the natural world.
This Pollinator Week, get outside, get your hands dirty, and have some fun together.
Stop by Ritchie's to discover kid-friendly gardening supplies, pollinator plants, seeds, and fun projects that help children connect with nature. https://www.ritchiefeed.com
