How to get kids engaged to help out in the garden

Gardening might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of children's hobbies, but Frances Tophill is on a mission to change that.

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The horticulturist, author and TV presenter believes that sowing seeds and getting muddy fingers can be magical for young minds - and it doesn't need to involve a big garden or fancy tools.

Tophill, who will appear at BBC Gardeners' World Live this summer, has written a gardening book for children, 'How to Grow a Garden', designed to help children discover the fun in planting, building and watching nature do its thing.

In the run-up to National Children's Gardening Week (May 29-June 6), Tophill shares her top tips for getting children excited about gardening - from bug hotels to creating fun spaces.

1. Build a bug hotel

If your child is fascinated by creepy-crawlies, this is the perfect project. Creating a bug hotel encourages kids to think about wildlife and biodiversity - all while doing some clever upcycling with garden scraps.

"Building a bug hotel is a very nice thing to do that's quite a long-term thing," says Tophill. "You could do it with bamboo sticks, or with rubble and stone, or with pine cones and leaves."