Gardening Day ideas for OSHC
37 DIY activities for a gardening day at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around Spring or 20 May. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Bee and Butterfly Garden
Children plant pollinator-friendly flowers, then watch and record the bees and butterflies that visit over the term.
World Bee Day · Gardening Day · Bug Day +3Bee Hotel Build
Children fill a tin or bottle with bamboo pieces and hollow stems to create a home for native solitary bees.
Gardening Day · Bug Day · Science Week +3Bottle Wormery
Children layer soil and sand in a clear bottle, add worms and watch how they tunnel and mix the layers over a week or two.
Bug Day · Gardening Day · Nature Play Day +3Build a Bug Hotel
Children fill a box frame with sticks, pinecones, bark and leaves to create a home for insects in the garden.
NAIDOC Week · Reconciliation Week · Gardening Day +3Bush Tucker Garden
Children plant native food species with guidance from a local Aboriginal organisation or nursery, learning how to care for them.
Rabbit Garden Day · Gardening Day · Sensory Day +2Carrot Playdough
Children shape orange playdough into carrots with green tops for a garden play scene. Soothing sensory play.
Bug Day · Science Week · Science Day +3Caterpillar Growing Habitat
Children care for caterpillars in a habitat and record how they grow and change, watching the life cycle unfold over days or weeks.
Gardening Day · Sustainable Superstars · Recycle Day +3Compost Bin Start-Up
Children sort food scraps into compost and non-compost piles, then start a compost bin and learn what breaks down and why.
Gardening Day · Craft Day · Mother's Day +3Decorate a Planter
Children paint a wooden or recycled planter and pot a small succulent to take home and care for.
Cooking Day · Fruit and Veggie Day · Healthy Heart Day +2DIY Salad Cups
Children build their own salads in cups from a choice of chopped vegetables.
Gardening Day · Autumn Leaves · Nature Play Day +3Flower Pressing
Children collect flowers and leaves, press them in heavy books and later use them to make cards or pictures.
Life Skills Day · Gardening Day · Sustainable Superstars +2Garden Jobs
Children help weed, water and mulch garden beds, learning how to care for plants.
Gardening Day · Farm to Table Day · Fruit and Veggie Day +3Gardening Club
Children prepare a garden bed, plant strawberries and sunflowers, and share the care through a watering roster.
Gardening Day · Nature Play Day · Science Week +1Grow a Grass-Hair Buddy
Children draw a face on a small pot, plant grass seed and watch their buddy grow green hair they can trim over the following weeks.
Gardening Day · Farm to Table Day · Cooking Day +2Herb Planting
Children decorate a pot and plant a herb seedling to take home, learning how herbs are grown and used.
Gardening Day · Autumn Leaves · Clay and Pottery Day +2Leaf Clay Impressions
Children press leaves into rolled clay to make textured tiles that show off the patterns of veins and edges.
Bug Day · Gardening Day · Nature Play Day +3Magnifying Glass Bug Safari
Children hunt for minibeasts with magnifying glasses and record their finds on a tally sheet, building curiosity about small creatures.
Weather Watchers · Science Week · Seasons Day +2Make a Rain Gauge
Children make a rain gauge from a plastic bottle and a ruler, then check and record rainfall over the following days.
Gardening Day · Enchanted Forest · Fairy Tale Day +3Mini Fairy Garden
Children design a tiny fairy garden in a pot using moss, pebbles and small natural or recycled bits.
National Tree Day · Gardening Day · Earth Day +3Native Seedling Planting
Children plant native seedlings in the service grounds or a community site, learning how trees support wildlife and the environment.
Desert Day · Rock and Gem Day · Gardening Day +2Painted Rock Cacti
Children paint smooth rocks to look like cacti and arrange them in a pot as a desert garden.
Park Day · Bug Day · Nature Play Day +3Park Bug Hunt
Children search under logs and leaves with magnifiers and tally the creatures they find. Hands-on science in a local park.
Bug Day · Science Week · Gardening Day +2Pasta Butterfly Life Cycle
Younger children glue pasta shapes onto card to show the stages of a butterfly's life cycle, from egg to butterfly.
Gardening Day · Craft Day · Mother's Day +2Pot Painting
Children decorate terracotta pots with acrylic paint to use for planting or as gifts.
International Day of Peace · Gardening Day · Book Week +2Pressed Flower Bookmarks
Children arrange pressed flowers and leaves on card and laminate them into bookmarks to keep or give.
Gardening Day · Farm to Table Day · Fruit and Veggie Day +1Quick Veggie and Herb Patch
Small groups plant spring onions, capsicum, cucumber, chives and mint in about half an hour, creating a patch they can harvest later.
Bird Watching Day · Recycle Day · Gardening Day +3Recycled Carton Bird Feeders
Children turn milk cartons into bird feeders, fill them with seed and hang them outside to attract local birds.
Down on the Farm · Gardening Day · Autumn Leaves +1Scarecrow Building
Small groups stuff old clothes with straw or newspaper and tie them together to build a scarecrow for the garden.
Gardening Day · Earth Day · National Tree Day +3Seed Bombs
Children mix clay, compost and native seeds into small balls to scatter in garden beds, helping bring bare patches to life.
Mother's Day · Gardening Day · Sustainable Superstars +1Seed Tape Gift
Children glue seeds at spaced intervals along paper tape to make an easy-to-plant garden gift.
Sustainable Superstars · Gardening Day · Recycle Day +2Self-Watering Bottle Planters
Children turn plastic bottles into self-watering planters, sow seeds and watch them grow over the following weeks.
Rabbit Garden Day · Gardening Day · Down on the Farm +1Vegetable Garden Small-World Tray
Children play with a tray of soil, toy vegetables and animals to create a little garden world. Rich imaginative and sensory play.
Farm to Table Day · Gardening Day · Fruit and Veggie Day +2Veggie Patch Planting
Children plant vegetable seeds or seedlings in garden beds or pots and learn how to care for them.
Gardening Day · Farm to Table Day · Fruit and Veggie DayVote on What We Plant
Children vote on three or four easy crops, then plant the winner, giving them a real say in the garden.
Gross and Messy Day · Bug Day · Gardening Day +3Worm Exploring
Children dig gently for worms in a garden bed, observe them on trays and return them to the soil.
Gardening Day · Sustainable Superstars · Recycle Day +3Worm Farm and Compost
Children set up a worm farm and compost bin and feed them afternoon tea scraps, learning how waste becomes soil.
Bug Day · Gardening Day · Sustainable Superstars +3Worm Farm Study
Children observe worms in a worm farm with magnifiers, learning how worms turn food scraps into rich soil.