How To Create A Pollinator-Friendly Garden with Kids

This post is sponsored by Feed A Bee in celebration of National Honey Month and the importance of bee pollinators. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.

WHAT IS FEED A BEE?

Feed A Bee is an initiative in partnership with Bayer to increase food for honey bees and other pollinators by planting our own bee pollinators to increase forage acreage. This program works with individuals and organizations across the country to help provide pollinators with the diverse forage and habitat they need to thrive. Learn more about Feed A Bee and how you can help this organization!

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO FEED THE BEES?

September is National Honey Month! It is a time to celebrate and promote the importance of beekeeping, the beekeeping industry, and honey as a natural sweetener. Bee pollination is likely something you don’t think about too often, however it is something we should be thinking more about.

Over the years we have seen reduced forage which means decreased food options for bees. Our population continues to grow and there are more and more people in the world to feed. We rely on bees to pollinate many of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables that the world needs for a healthy and nutritious diet. Foods such as almonds, avocados, grapes and strawberries to name a few, all benefit from bee pollinators in various ways. The cool part is we can ALL very easily do our part to help by simply planting bee-attractant flowers that supply bees with pollen and nectar.

How To Create A Pollinator-Friendly Garden with Kids

I don’t know about you, but my kids love getting to help me with projects. And I love when we can do activities together that are hands on and away from screens for a bit. Creating a pollinator friendly plant took us less than 30 minutes, and the kids were so proud of their creation!

Supplies Needed

8 qt. bag of potting mix
Small Gardening Shovel
Terra cotta pot
2.5 quart aster plant
Crayons, markers, stickers, paint, paint brushes to decorate the pot

Directions

Set up an area for the project. We worked on our patio table, and I placed some craft paper on the table to avoid getting paint and soil all over.
Let the kids creativity flow by decorating the terra cotta pot! And while they are doing that, start talking to them about the pollination process and why it’s important!

Open potting soil. Remove plant and place into terra cotta pot.
Begin pouring the potting soil all around the plant. Let the kids use the shovel to help scoop some of the soil and place around the plant.