Taking care of a garden is a lot of fun, but it can also be hard work. Get ready to work in your garden and help it grow!

Supplies:

• Your garden

• Trowel

• Watering can

• Mulch

Let's Do It!

1. Place mulch all around the plant to protect the roots and prevent weeds from growing around the plant

2. Make sure your plant gets 1-2 inches of water a week, either from rain or from a watering can.

   • Try to water at the base of the plant and not on the leaves

3. Observe your plant often, checking the leaves for insects or disease

Talk it Over!

1. How is your garden growing?

2. What kind of mulch could you use to prevent weeds?

3. How much water do your plants need each week?

4. How does caring for living plants help us learn to care for others? Why is this important?

Time needed: 20 minutes

Have you ever gotten so excited to plant seeds that you forgot where you put which seed? Or maybe you can’t quite remember how much sunlight or water that one houseplant needs. Or perhaps you’re just wanting to spend some time sitting outside and getting artsy. Plant labels are a great way to stay organized in the garden while being creative!

Supplies:

• Labels: Popsicle sticks, paper, cardboard, clothespins, pebbles, old wooden spoons, and anything else you could use to make a label

• Markers

• Optional: paint, sticks, tape

Let's Do It!

1. Find a plant around your home, yard, or garden that needs a label.

2. Using the markers or paint, write down the name of the plant on one of your labels.

3. Write the date that the plant was planted .

4. Get creative with your plant labels! You can draw a picture of what the plant looks like now or a picture of what you think the plant will look like when it’s all grown up! You can also give the plant a nickname that’s silly or serious, depending on how you feel.

5. When you’re done, stick the label in the soil near the plant. If you need to, gather some sticks and tape your labels to them so that they can be easily stuck in the soil.

6. Look for more plants to label!

Talk it Over!

1. Why do you think labeling a plant would be useful?

2. How would including the date the plant was planted help you in the garden?

3. What other information do you think would be helpful to put on a plant label?

4. Do you think it’s important for gardeners to stay organized? Why or why not?

Time needed: 20 minutes

Rain is an amazing and necessary resource for plants! Too much or too little rain can sometimes hurt plants and it’s helpful for gardeners to know just how much water their plants are getting from the rain. An easy way to measure rain is by building your very own rain gauge!

Supplies:

• Plastic Bottle

• Scissors

• Ruler

• Marker

• Duct Tape

Let's Do It!

1. Take your plastic bottle and, using the scissors, carefully cut off the top of the bottle about where the bottle starts to narrow. This can be tricky (and sharp!) so have an adult nearby to help you.

2. Place the cut-off bottle top upside down in the bottom half of the bottle to make a funnel. If you need to, use some tape to secure the funnel. This funnel helps to prevent evaporation of the rain water before you get a chance to take measurements.

3. Place your ruler next to the bottle and, using a pen, mark and label every centimeter (cm) up the side of the bottle. You can also measure in inches (in) and mark quarter or half inches. If you’re having trouble getting your marker to write on the plastic, place a strip of duct tape on the bottle and write on that!

4. Your rain gauge is done! Find an open spot outside for it to collect rain. Make sure the bottle is secured so wind doesn’t blow it away. You can bury the bottom half underground, wedge the bottle between two objects, or dump a handful of small pebbles into the bottom to anchor it down.

5. Wait until it rains and then make some observations with your brand new rain gauge!

Talk it Over!

1. How could you use a rain gauge in your garden?

2. Is the bottom of your bottle flat or filled with pebbles? How might this affect your measurements when collecting rain? How could you change your rain gauge to get more accurate measurements?

3. Time how long a rain storm lasts and compare that to the amount of rain in your gauge. Record your observations and repeat over the next few rain storms. Did it rain a whole bunch in a short period of time? Did it rain all day but your gauge still didn’t fill up that much?