Sunflowers in the garden

If you're lucky enough to have a patch of dirt, growing plants is a great way to keep the kids occupied in the long summer evenings now that daylight saving is here. Even if you don't have a garden, a large pot, some dirt and a packet of seeds is a great way to teach children where some of our food comes from.

Sunflowers are a great first plant for children because they're easy to grow and their rapid growth means kids can see changes daily. Junior Landcare in conjuction with Yates are encouraging kids to get gardening this spring by supplying free sunflower seeds and running a competition to see who can grow the biggest sunflower. The Sunflower Challenge website has everything you need to know about growing sunflowers.