Top 10 Gardening Gifts for Kids

1. Mini Windowsill Garden

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.

2. Make Your Own Stepping Stones Kits

Messy fun that turns into a permanent remembrance and a reason for your kids to take a walk through the garden. The kit comes with all the materials needed for concrete artists to create a personal masterpiece that even glows in the dark, when you really need stepping stones. They take awhile to dry and use, but they'll have the fun of getting dirty and expressing themselves and they'll be able to see the results immediately even if they can't step on them for a week or two.

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.

7. Kid Sized Garden Tools

If you've got kids who love to help in the garden, give them tools that fit their own hands. I can't guarantee they'll make less of a mess with them, but they're less likely to get hurt and they'll learn the importance of taking care of your tools. Here's a selection of brightly colored fun - yet functional - kid sized gardening gear.

8. Butterfly Garden by Insect Lore

What kid doesn't love butterflies? With this kit they’ll raise 5 Painted Lady butterflies while learning about their life cycle. Painted Ladies are supposed to be safe to release into the environment. Everything

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. Create Your Own Bird Feeder

A fully functioning bird house with a removable roof and 2 sliding acrylic windows comes unpainted and awaiting your child's artistic flair. Included are: sandpaper, stencils, brushes, paints and varnish. You'll need to add the bird seed and find a place to hang the feeder so your kids can keep an eye on how much the backyard birds enjoy their creation. (Winner of Parenting Magazine Mom-Tested! Toy of the Year Award and Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award (Gold Seal) and Parents' Choice Award) Recommended for ages 6 yrs. and up.