Get creative with fall gardening scraps!

Fall is a time to put things to bed in the garden. But don't put all those flower heads and herbs directly in the compost, play with them first! Repurposing your items normally headed for your compost or yard waste receptacle presents a unique opportunity for kids to get truly hands on with nature, even if that means tearing a flower up! This is a great way for kids to learn what's inside of a "dead flower"...seeds!

Mature marigolds provide a great opportunity for viewing mature seeds. 

You can save these, too, to grow next season! Just fold inside of a packet made out of paper. (I will post these instructions, too).

 In the photo above, we gave each child a pair of scissors and told them to help cut all the flowers off. I was hoping to make a giant pile of marigolds to toss around. This kids were really excited about actually getting to "pick" flowers and open them up. I think we entertained this 2, 3, and 4 year old for a good 40 minutes just cutting off flowers.

Even babies can get into this! Great opportunity
 for filling in dumping practice, just add a bucket!

Great cutting practice.

We made a garland from the marigold flower heads.

To make marigold garland, you just need a needle and thread. You can get a quilting needle (more dull) for kids to try out. You can also make a marigold crown, as pictured in the leaf crown blog post last week.

Speaking of piles of garden things, this idea also worked great with a bunch of oregano I had to cut from my garden. Frost was coming, and I had tons of oregano that needed to be harvested and dried. It was rainy the day we did this, so I set up the activity indoors for my daughter to help.

Big big pile of oregano-smelled wonderful and very tempting to a baby!

Baby had fun rifling through the pile.

Supplies you need: paper bag of any size, yarn, scissors, stapler.

Step 1: Cut off any flowers.

Picture after cutting flowers off.

Also cut off any yellowing or sickly colored leaves. 

All herbs used for drying should be vivid green. Otherwise, you risk mildewing/molding.

Gather a bundle depending on the size of your bag.

 The larger the bag you are using, the larger and more bundles it can handle.

Wrap ends with yarn, just a few times.

Ready for hanging inside bag.

For fun, you can make a mini bundle and wrap it more heavily on the bottom.
This makes a fun kids' necklace!

Baby liked wearing her herb necklace-smelled great!

Staple each bundle to the edge of the bag.

When you're done, staple the top shut.

The last step will be to find a dry place. Temperature is not too important here, just as long as it is dry. An attic works great. If you use an old shopping bag like I did, the handles are perfect to hang on a random nail or hook.