Have you been thinking about gardening with your preschooler but aren’t sure where to start?  Here are the basics!  Let us know what you think in the comments here or on Facebook - or share your gardening with kids ideas.  Thanks!

Step 1: What to plant? 

Check out Sprout Robot http://sproutrobot.com/, go to your local nursery, or check out your county extension office to find out what you can plant now.  

Right now it’s March and it’s the perfect time to get your veggie garden started! 

What to plant for the kids?
Most of these are fairly easy to grow (Except the tomatoes – those can be a trickier) so do your research.  Having a plan makes gardening so much easier.  Start by picking things that you and your kids like to eat then go to a nursery or check out a seed catalog and have fun with it!

Some of the veggies I especially like to have in my girls' garden are carrots, radishes and leaf lettuce, because you can see the sprouts coming up quickly and if they disturb the seeds it’s not that big of a deal.

Step 2:  Where to get seeds?
Seeds are everywhere, my first garden I used seeds from the grocery store and still did pretty well, but look into who is local to you – there is a great seed company out of Puyallup called Ed Hume Seeds, I personally love Territorial Seeds out of Portland, OR – but there are tons to check into.

Step 3: Where to plant?
Start small:   You don’t have to start farming your first time out the gate.  Get a small container or use an existing bed in your yard.  Pick up some potting soil, or check out Mel’s Mix – people swear by it!

Pay attention to the sun:  What do the plants/seeds need?  Where in your yard can you get it?  

Step 4: Play in the garden!
Let your kids water their garden every day that it doesn't rain - twice a day if it's really hot.  Help them watch out for sprouting seeds - the coolest thing ever - and try to wait until the plants are big enough to actually eat before they pick them.  Have fun!!!

More Resources: 

12 Top Tips for Gardening with Youth Children: Check out this blog post from Catherine an awesome mom blogger in the UK with some sweet insights into gardening with children on her blog Sun Hats &  Wellie Boots.   Check out her most recent post about making a wormery with a great book to go along with the activity!

Step by step starter garden. Take the guess work out of your first time with this post that includes a shopping list of everything you need to get started. 

Check us out on Pinterest for more fun ideas for gardening and outdoor activities with kids.

Need somewhere to get out of the house on rainy days?  Us too!!!  So we compiled a list of indoor Snohomish County play places here.  Let us know in the comments or on Facebook if there are any more you think we should add to the list! 

Did anyone else see the recent ParentMap list of more than 60 Indoor Play Places in the Seattle Area?  Click here for the ParentMap list of Indoor Play Places.  This is our  SnoCo list. 

Imagine Children's Museum in Everett

Playdate Cafe, Lynnwood. The popular Playdate Cafe north of Seattle is an 8,500 square foot play space with free wifi, a cafe/eatery, birthday party rooms, etc. They also now operate classes and preschool from the cafe. Tip: Check Playdate's Facebook page to see how busy it is.

Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett. (Rooftop Play area pictured above)  In the museum’s small-scale wildlife clinic, your future vet can care for “wild” stuffed animals, remove them from realistic looking kennels, and other cool doctor-type stuff.

Everett Public Library has toddler (ages 18mo-2yrs) and preschool (ages 3-6 yrs) storytime on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 - 11:00am and Stay and Play (ages 0-4) on Fridays from 10:30am - 12:00pm. 

Alderwood Mall play area in Lynnwood. Another reason to head north: The kids’ area was upgraded in December 2007 and now sports shiny new play equipment. It’s free and open during mall hours.

The Nest in Woodinville. Need to run some errands? Drop off the kiddos for some arts & crafts, music, movement and age-appropriate open play while you finish up your daily chores. Check the events calendar for featured daily activities and what's in store for your tot's play day.

Jump Rattle & Roll in Monroe, is a fun inflatable play zone for kids.  There is a playground like structure, lots of slides and even some quieter activities for like play kitchens and doll houses.  Open play time is 10am - 12pm Monday - Friday with additional times later in the day.  Check their website for more details!

Elevated Sportz in Bothell, boasts a ton of trampolines, a giant kids' play structure and cafe with free wi-fi. Deal tip: And they have a "Hoppy Hour" special from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Pump it Up in Kirkland and Lynnwood. Voted as the "Best place for a birthday party" in Parent Maps' "Best of 2010: Giggles, grub and gotta-haves" article last year, Pump it Up offers pre-k open jump Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:30-12pm. 


Family Fun Center & Bullwinkle's Restaurant in Edmonds.  Lots of indoor and outdoor activities including bumper boats, bumper cars, go karts, miniature golf and fun fortress (a bouncy play structure) open 12pm-8pm all week long. 

Snohomish Aquatic Center in Snohomish

Snohomish Aquatic Center in Snohomish (pictured above).  Opened in February 2014 to much buzz, this new aquatics center seems to have it all: lazy river, warm-water pool (102 degrees), spray area, zero-depth area for tots, corkscrew slide and surf-simulation machine.

Mountlake Terrace pool and Lynnwood Pool. Both pools are warm, and have toddler-friendly lazy rivers, water slides and hot tubs. And if you just want a short swim (perfect for toddlers) you can take advantage of Mountlake Terrace's $2 "Happy Hour" swims.

Forest Park Pool in Everett has swimming lessons, open swim and party rentals.  Parent tot swim is Monday - Thursday 6-8:30am and open swim is noon- 1:30pm.

Comcast Community Ice Rink (Comcast Arena), in Everett has Public Sessions and Cheap Skate Times, but they appear to vary due to the events constantly going on at the arena so get onto their website and see what they have coming up! 

Lynnwood Ice Arena. Public skating seven days a week, skate aids for toddlers, and cheap sessions on Wednesday nights; plus kid under age five are free.

Central Market, Mill Creek. Mini-shopping carts for kids to push, fresh tortillas to taste, live crabs and other seafood to see, a traveling tractor to to climb on, and super-nice cashiers with stamps on hand for fretting toddlers. Plus, of course, an amazing selection of relatively well-priced ethnic goodies, as well as all the staples.

Baby’s Day at the Movies in Kirkland. Plays every other Friday at 9:45 a.m. (doors at 9:15 a.m.) at Kirkland Park Place. Children ages 4 and under are free (though it's not always a kid's movie that plays).