Just for Kids

“Even my son enjoys visiting Dunscar Garden Centre with me. There is something for everyone and all occasions. The friendly staff make it a pleasurable day out.”

At Dunscar we are keen to get the younger generation excited by nature and gardening. It gets them out into the fresh air, gives free rein to their natural curiosity and fosters a caring attitude. However, it has to be fun. We are thus proud to have found a wide range of products that we feel sure will appeal to kids, ranging from funky gardening tools from Insect Lore, to mini science laboratories to study bugs and pond life and Nick Baker Explorer kits on animal tracking.

However, children need to see quick and defined results if they are to maintain their interest in gardening. We thus recommend vegetable gardening as a fruitful introduction to the joys of nurturing plants. What can be better than eating the results? Even without a vegetable patch children can have fun growing their own vegetables. We even have a wide range of vegetable and flower seeds especially designed for kids. Examples include, Katy Carrot, Tiger Tom, Russell Radish and Slitherin Sam. All are easy to grow and we can provide compost, seed trays, pots and stacks of free advice.

Facilities for children

  • Secure play area (off the garden patio and open Spring/Summer only)
  • High chairs and baby changing area in the Garden Café
  • Children’s menu
  • Colouring books and toys in the Garden Café
  • Kids’ baking section in the Cook Shop
  • Kids’ gardening, wildlife and toy section in the main shop

Christmas Grotto
Every Christmas we build a Christmas Grotto for children and invite a local charity to provide a Father Christmas for each of the weekend days in December leading up to Christmas, as a means to raise funds for the charity.  In previous years such charities have included the NSPCC, Macmillan Cancer Relief, Derian House and the North West Air Ambulance. Last year we invited Queenscourt Hospice to run our grotto to help them raise funds for their worthy cause. Sadly the snow hampered their efforts severely. For Christmas 2011 we have invited Queenscourt Hospice again but would be very happy to consider other charities for 2012 and beyond.

Schools Grow Your Own Competition
In the hope that it would encourage young children to take an interest in gardening and eating fresh food, since 2006 we have been running an annual competition for local schools to grow a range of fruit and vegetable plants. Six local primary schools have been involved and we provided them all with strawberry plants, tomato plants, runner bean plants, parsley seeds, growbags, seed trays, pots, compost and canes.

To give the children (and perhaps their teachers) a helping hand, we have also provided some classroom training at the start of the competition. As the competition has developed, we have decided to strengthen the link between gardening and food further.

In 2009 we invited the school children to grow their own soup. Each school grew a selection of herbs and vegetables and then submitted the resultant produce to our catering staff to turn into a soup. We then invited the children involved to attend a blind “taste off” and judge the best soup. To our surprise every single plate was cleared and most of the children asked for seconds. In the end the children voted as the best soup that made from the produce of Kew Woods Primary School in Southport, with Tarleton Holy Trinity Primary School very worthy runners up.

This year schools were invited to submit a menu with their produce. Two schools were selected for the final “taste off”. Tarleton Community Primary School submitted sufficient produce for a two course vegetarian menu comprising Minted Pea, Courgette, Onion & Garlic Frittata, New Potato & Chive Salad, Red and Green Salad (mixed leaves with radishes) as well as Strawberry & Blackcurrant Eton Mess. Holmeswood Methodist Primary School opted to supply the ingredients for four soups, one for each season, namely Tomato, Lemon & Carrot Soup, Lettuce & Pea Soup, Spicy Red Pepper & Tomato Soup, and Beetroot Soup. The standard of ingredients and menu was such that both schools were awarded joint first prize and each given £115 of vouchers to spend at the centre. However, the children themselves overwhelmingly voted the Eton Mess as their favourite.

Gardening Puzzle
Follow the letters in straight lines up, down and along (not diagonally) and try to find words describing things you might find in the garden. Some of the words are back to front and some are difficult so it is OK to ask for help. There are 28 in all. Answers below.


Answers to Children’s Gardening Word Search (28 words):
xoɟ ‘ǝsnoɥuǝǝɹƃ ‘ƃıɟ ‘ǝoɥ ‘sʇɐq ‘ƃnq ‘ןʍo ‘ƃoɹɟ ‘ǝxɐ ‘ƃop ‘pǝǝʍ ‘ʞǝǝן ‘ɥɔuǝq ‘ʍoɹɹɐq ‘pos ‘ʞɹoɟ ‘ǝʞɐɹ ‘sɥʇɐd ‘ɹɐǝd ‘ɐʇsoɥ ‘dɐʇ ‘ssɐɹƃ ‘ʇɐɔ ‘ɥɔɹɐן ‘ʇuɐ ‘ǝןddɐ ‘ʇʍǝu ‘ɹǝpןɐ ‘sǝoןs ‘ǝpɐds ‘ǝǝɹʇ ‘puod ‘pɐoʇ ‘oʇɐɯoʇ ‘ʇuɐןd