Growing up was never so easy. From toddlers to teens, it's all about getting down in the dirt
by Phoebe Assenza
Play Garden
They’re too small to get down in the dirt (lest they start eating it), but you can still prime your grandbaby for his foray into the flower bed with the soft and colorful Play Garden from Kushies. This portable play set has magnetic, interchangeable, and stackable flowers, creatures, and plants that can be arranged and rearranged in any way he pleases, developing his green thumb before he fully understands what a thumb is.
Price: $70 For ages: 12 months and older Available at:Amazon.com
Radio Flyer Wheelbarrow
If your grandtoddler is old enough to walk, she’s probably old enough and eager to help you in the garden by pushing a wheelbarrow around. This model from Radio Flyer stands an appropriate 11 inches high, perfectly manageable for little one to haul your clippings, her toys, or siblings.
Price: $40 For ages: 2 to 4 Available at:Amazon.com
Little Farmer Garden Set
A perfectly sized-down kit for the 3-and-older set, this durable little tote comes with a shovel, spade, and rake for your grandchild to play along with while you garden, or perhaps do some beginner’s-level planting. The accompanying watering can makes it a complete introduction to horticulture for a preschooler.
Price: $15 For ages: 3 and older Available at: Amazon.com
Earthworm Nursery
Grandchildren of a certain age might be more interested in the crawly little creatures they find under the rocks in your garden than your expertly cultivated azaleas. The Earthworm Nursery is a gift your grandchildren will want to give back, as they raise their own earthworms and eventually release them into soil. Each eco-educational kit comes with 50 earthworm cocoons, a little greenhouse, “special growth soil” to maximize earthworm output, and a guide full of earthworm facts.
Price: $25 For ages: 4 and older Available at:Amazon.com
Carniverous Creations Terrarium Kit
Tween grandchildren who favor quirky and exotic over traditional greenery can raise their own curious plants and flowers with the Carnivorous Creations Terrarium Kit. The complete set includes seeds for real insect-eating plants like the Venus fly, as well as cobra lilies and purple pincher plants. With the kit’s accompanying swamp rocks and a growing dome, your grandchild can cultivate his own bog that, if properly cared for, could eventually become part of his college dorm-room décor.
Teen granddaughters who are as concerned with donning the appropriate garden attire as they are warding off weeds and snails will love a custom, handmade gardening apron from
this Etsy shop. Choose from a variety of bold, vintage-inspired patterns and colors for the crafting and gardening apron she’ll don for years.
Price: $25 For ages: 12 and up Available at:Etsy.com
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