Top 10 Gardening Gifts for Kids

1. Windowsill Greenhouse Kits

The hard part about getting kids interested in gardening is that it takes more patience than the average child has. You plant the seeds and wait a month for them to emerge, then another couple of months for the plant to bloom or yield. With a windowsill kit the garden is right there in front of them, so they're reminded of it everyday. There's a Dinosaur Park, with prehistoric ferns, the Princess Garden, with glitter and jewels framing impatiens or how about a banana tree?

2. Ecospheres

Here's something different for the older kids who enjoy nature. These oval globes are based on a design by NASA, used to study the Earth's biosphere. They contain an entire living ecosystem and you get to see it unfold and mature. They're filled with sea water, red shrimp, algae and other sea creatures that create a balance. The average life cycle of an Ecosphere is 2-3 years, although some last longer and I'm sure some meet untimely ends. Available in a 4" or 5" size.

3. Bug Bog

Kind of yucky, really, and perfect for the older inquisitive kid gardener. This terrarium kit comes with seeds for 10 different carnivorous plants including pitcher plants, the sundew plant and, of course, the Venus flytrap. Good gross fun and easier to keep than a puppy.

4. The Garden Game

If your family likes board games every age can enjoy, I'd recommend The Garden Game from kidsgardening.com. It's a little like playing SimGarden; there are seeds to plant, plants to feed and water, bad weather, natural disasters and hopefully, harvest festivals. The game takes players through the seasons of a garden. The player who grows the largest garden and saves the most seeds wins. If nothing else, they'll never look at their vegetables the same way again. Ages 6 and up, 2-6 players.

5. Monticello Children's Garden Kit

No one was more enamored of gardens than Thomas Jefferson. The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants has put together a children's gardening kit with easy-to-grow heirloom seeds of plants selected for their fun colors, fruits or forms. Seed varieties include Love-in-the-Mist, Nasturtiums, Johnny-jump-ups, Calendulas, Scarlet Runner Beans, Bachelor's Buttons, Sweet Basil, and Globe Artichokes. Suitable for ages 6 and up, in most growing areas.

6. WormLab from the National Gardening Association

What could be better than watching icky worms turn leftovers into compost. The WormLab can compost up to seven lbs of food scraps each week, with squiggly red wigglers and a Grow Brick to get started. Fun and educational for the kids and a big bonus for your garden.

8. Make Your Own Stepping Stones

We can't guarantee their plants will grow forever or even sprout at all, but a stepping stone is something they can take pride in for years and you can cherish for life. They're messy, but easy to make. You can imprint their hands, their names or any special memento.

This kit comes with 2 lbs. of concrete mix, concrete tint, a trowel, 8 and 10" round forms, stamps to make uppercase letters, numbers and punctuations and instructions.

9. Leaf Collecting Kit

You know they're going to pick things up and bring them home anyway, why not take the opportunity to teach them about the trees around them? Send them on a treasure hunt for winged seeds and spiny husks. Don't we all wish we were taught these things as kids?

10. Looker Products Window Hopper Bird Feeder

Bring the birds to the kids. This clear bird feeder attaches to any window with suction cups, so there's no worry about heat loss through the window. Sprinkle your seeds and when you least expect it, cardinals, chickadees, finches and nuthatches will be staking out their turf. It's a nice way to keep kids interested in nature, during the cold months of winter. Combine it with something like Gardening with Kids iFlyer bird id tool, to help them learn to recognize birds by their appearance and their songs.