simple thing 2 keep kiddies happy@lottie

[di]

just wanted to share an idea we did on a nursery trip withAsh;basically they were each given a fairly thick(but not to long)stick with several elastic bands wrapped round & sent off to find pieces ofnature 2 put on them(under the bands)obviously no living creatures!they looked really effective & kept the children happy 4 ages!don't know about other lottie parents,but for us we often bombarded with the "i'm bored now?when are we going home?etcetc.although we still have the novelty of new chooks on our side-..for now!

[Pootle]

We do a 'who can collect the most dandelions' competition - this can be replaced with snails or slugs depending ow squeamish you/the children are.

Also good is 'hiding mice' - who can find the best hiding place on the allotments and be the quietest. Just shout 'I think they're over there' every 10 minutes while you get on with digging/sowing/sunbathing...

[Two_Sheds]

I always give them a trowel and say "dig worms for the chickens" or "dig the biggest hole you can"

I don't like them wandering around the allotment because of broken glass, thistles, nettles, cars etc. They're usually happy to just sit and dig. And eat picnic, of course.

[Two_Sheds]

I always wanted to build a bean-tunnel for the kids to hide in, but never got round to it.
Building Garden Structures

[lottielady]

We have started something like this on our patio with 5 x terracotta pots 3 with clematis and petunia in and then the other two with outdoor cucumbers we have put a cane in each pot and twine to join them all, hopefully it should be a nice hideaway in a few weeks.

[Flummery]

Love the Tee-pee idea. Might nick it next year!

[petal]

my kids have small beds at opposite ends of the allotment with lots of different things growing - we add things and weed when they are not there- so they are guaranteed success - they are having a competition to see who can grow the biggest pumpkin.

[Seahorse]

I love the teepee and tunnel ideas!

My littlest boy (almost three) has a little ride on tractor and trailer that we keep in the shed so that he can help me ferry stuff around the plot

[rustylady]

Grandson, aged 3 and a half is always happy digging for worms, main problem is keeping him in one place!! Little brother aged nearly 2 isn't allowed anywhere my plot unless he's in his buggy. Granddaughter aged 8 is quite helpful and interested, but does get bored fairly quickly. Found a frog last weekend and he/she kept her happy for ages watching where it went.