Special Needs Children Garden: Planting Strawberries

Image shows a large decorated pot with strawberry plants in it. — Finished Strawberry Planter

It’s springtime in Texas and the baby squirrels are playing “red light, green light” in the streets already. We need to keep those critters fed, so let’s plant some strawberries. With luck, we may even get to eat a few that they miss. In Special Needs Children Garden: Planting Strawberries, I’ll show you how to include your special child in this simple planting activity. You can use any kind of sturdy plant for this activity, but strawberries are great because almost all kids like eating them.

Supplies:

Image shows 2 bowls of potting soil, 1 small bowl of little rocks, a large decorated pot, a tray with 5 strawberry plants on it, and a watering can with a sieve nozzle. — These are the supplies you will need for the strawberry planting project.

Large pot
Small bowl of lava rocks
Large bowls filled with potting soil
About 5 or 6 strawberry plants
Watering can filled about half full

If you’ve decorated your strawberry pot according to the directions in Special Needs Children Craft: Painted Strawberry Pot, then use that pot for planting. Otherwise, any large pot will do. I recommend having your plants already taken out of the pot that they came in and laid out on a tray ready to go. Many people use styrofoam packing noodles at the bottom of large planters so that they are lighter and easier to move. I use lava rocks because they do not blow away when the child is putting them in the pot. You can use what you like, but you do want something on the bottom to keep the soil from plugging up the drainage holes. I only fill the watering can half way so that it is not too heavy. I generally get all my supplies out of the bags they came in before calling my child to help in order to keep the project going quickly. I know my child can be very impatient and all of them can get into mischief if you take too long getting things together.

Image shows large decorated pot, 2 large bowls of soil and a small bowl filled with small rocks. — Give your child only the supplies needed for adding the soil to the pot.

I recommend breaking this activity into parts so that you can show them the steps in smaller groups. Start with adding the soil. Let your child go through the picture gallery to see what to do. Don’t give them the supplies for adding the plants or watering yet or you may end up with a power struggle if they want to go too fast or skip steps.

Child: Click on the picture to get to the next step.

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Image shows a tray with 5 strawberry plants taken out of their pots and ready to be transplanted next to a large pot filled with soil. — Give your child only what he needs for planting the strawberry plants now.

Next let your child look at the pictures for planting the plants.

Child: Click on the pictures to go to the next step.

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Image shows a watering can with a sieve nozzle next to a pot filled with strawberry plants. — Give your child the watering can filled only halfway so that it is easy to lift.

Once the strawberries are planted, it’s time to water them. Now is the time to show your child the watering can and let them go at it. Watering cans with sprinkle spouts are best in order to avoid making big holes in the newly planted soil. I hope you all enjoyed Special Needs Children Garden: Planting Strawberries.