Grow your own playhouse

A sunflower playhouse provides children with a castle to defend, a secret hideout for bandits, or their very own Millenium Falcon to race threw space fighting the evil Galactic Empire. They can also provide a healthy snack for the kids while the children play if planted with vegetables like watermelon and pole beans. A sunflower playhouse will expose children to some of the ways plants grow, flower, and fruit and children should be included in the planting. The large seeds of the sunflower, pumpkin and beans are easy for children to plant and these seeds are also not that picky about the depth they are planted at. Here are the supplies and directions for planting a fun, organic playhouse that will expose children to some of the growing habits of plants.

Go to http://urbanagsolutions.com/ and look for "Grow your own playhouse" under knowledge base for complete planting and care instructions.

Let the children play and learn!

A sunflower playhouse is more than just a really cool Fortress of Solitude; it is a chance for children to learn the many different ways plants grow and behave. As the new plants emerge, point out the difference between cotyledons and true leaves. Mixing some sweet corn with the sunflowers will give an example of a monocotyledon to compare all the dicots to.

Point out the different ways plants look for sunlight. The sunflower will stretching high into the sky. Melons and pumpkins will quickly cover the ground, preventing other plants from growing in the area and shading the vines out. Bean have modified leaves (tendrils) that allow them to use other plants and structures for support as they climb up in search of more sunlight.

As the pumpkins and melons flower, point out the different parts. Pumpkins have nice big incomplete flowers that are easy to examine. Point out the difference between the complete flowers of the beans and the incomplete flowers of the pumpkins and melons. After harvesting, examine all the different ways plants protect their seeds.

Sunflower playhouses offer an endless opportunity to learn about the natural world. It will nourish both the mind and the body from the time the area is prepared for planting, to harvesting the fresh organic snacks provided while playing. It will encourage children of all ages to never stop learning and never stop playing.