Don't wait for Spring to take care of your garden. Your children will be happy to help greet Spring with some early bloomers. Introducing your children to the wonders of nature is a wonderful way to stimulate their curiosity about the world. Besides, growing a plant will give your toddler or preschooler a huge sense of accomplishment.
I took my nieces outside to have them plant some hyacinths and daffodils. I made sure to use already-thriving bulbs so that the kids realize that these are real plants. I imagine with older kids, you could start even more at the beginning with just a seed or a bulb without the leaves showing.
At first, they filled the flower-box with potting compost all by themselves. By giving them the meaningful task of planting flowers without the usual help of a grown-up, your kids will feel like an adult themselves and like they and their work are taken seriously.
I removed the pots and showed the girls how many roots those small bulbs have. After creating a small hollow with the help of their gardening shovels, I asked them to carefully put the bulbs into the flower-box and press them in slightly.
It was nice to see them work together for this project since they've tended to argue quite a lot in the last few month. But in their small Spring garden grew pure harmony.
And as you can see, even real princesses can get their hands dirty to create something beautiful.
For the girls, the winter gardening was an exciting and fun outdoor activity and a welcome change to the usual winter or indoor activities. They are very anxious to see the results next time they visit - and I am too!