Flora and I have been having so much fun with her monthly Mud and Bloom subscription boxes this year. We’ve grown flowers and vegetables, done nature walks, created a twig boat, a fairy garden, and painted pebbles. So we couldn’t wait to get started on June’s curation of activities.
Mud and Bloom
As you’ll be aware if you’ve read my previous posts, Mud and Bloom offer gardening and craft subscription boxes for kids which come through your letterbox each month. The boxes have gardening and nature craft seasonal activities with full instructions, seeds, compost pellets, quizzes, and games. So you don’t even need your own garden to get started! Although they follow the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 national curriculum and are aimed at 3 – 8 year olds, we’ve found older kids are fascinated by them too.
June’s box
Here’s what was inside June’s box:
- instructions for growing calendula (organic seeds and compost pellets provided)
- instructions for growing beetroot (organic seeds and compost pellets provided)
- a sticky card template and instructions for making a nature walk journal
- acrylic paints and a citronella tealight plus instructions on how to make a jam jar lantern
- a fact sheet and what butterflies to look out for
- and a quiz.
Calendula and beetroot
I’ve never tried growing calendula flowers (although I know they’re edible and can be used in skincare) and neither have I attempted beetroot. Flora wasn’t so keen on the idea of beetroot but I overruled her!
This time, we planted our seeds straight into some pots with seed compost, along with our sweet pea and pumpkin seeds from May’s box. (We didn’t plant those last month because of an imminent holiday). We’re lucky to have a greenhouse but you could just as easily use a sunny window ledge – just make sure the pots don’t dry out.
Nature walk journal
The nature walk journal activity was delegated to Alan, so he and Flora set off for a walk around the ponds in our village. The idea is to collect twigs, feathers, leaves, flowers and stick them to both sides of the card (which already has double sided sticky tape on it).
From memory, they picked a rather hot day to do the nature walk so by the time they got back, most of their treasures were wilting!
Tip: take a plastic bag with some soaking wet cotton wool or kitchen roll at the bottom, so any treasures you pick on a walk will stay a little fresher for longer.
Jam jar lantern
I love the thought that clearly goes into these seasonal activities. Now that summer’s here, we’re sitting and eating outside much more so a citronella candle is ideal to help keep bugs at bay. And personalising the jam jar lantern makes it that much more special.
Flora asked to paint two lanterns and this is what she came up with: perhaps not the most colourful of creations, but continuing her favourite themes of dragons and cats (!)
Butterflies spotting and quiz
Have you ever heard of a hissing butterfly? Me neither, but apparently our native Peacock butterfly hisses to scare off predatory bats and mice! And although we knew why birds take dust baths (to absorb excess oil on their feathers) here’s a good tip about drinking water. It’s not just dogs and cats that appreciate a shallow bowl of water being left out for them in the summer heat, birds and smaller creatures do too.
We didn’t do so well on the butterflies spotting, only three out of five this time, with a Brimstone and an Orange Tip still to watch out for.
Final thoughts
June’s box fully lived up to our expectations, with the jam jar lanterns being Flora’s favourite activity. I know I keep saying this but I really do think these Mud and Bloom boxes are amazing value at only £7.95, including P&P. Where else could you get a monthly subscription with this range of art, nature, and garden activities, and that’s linked to the National Curriculum too? They really do offer a fun alternative to the iPad and other infernal electronic devices. And with the summer holidays looming, now’s the ideal time to try one!
Lovely!
I don’t know anything about brimstones, but the orange tip is one of my favourite butterflies. Your most likely time to have seen them was late May/early June. From now onwards you’re less likely to meet one. We saw quite a few alongside the River Frome in Bristol about a month ago, males and females.
Good luck with your lepidoptery (if that’s the right word!) and all the other brilliant activities – clearly well worth the subscription!
Thank you, Mary, and wow, I had no idea you were a butterfly expert, Flora can pick your brains next time we see you! xx
Far from an expert I’m afraid Lisa – just little bits of knowledge acquired over the years!
I keep meaning to get one of these for Leon! The box sounds like so much fun for kids, Leon is really getting into the garden right now, he’s currently growing sun flowers and hes so obsessed! It’s a great way to introduce children to gardening.
We’re growing sunflowers from an earlier M&B box, they’re huge! I do think Leon would love it. You’re right about the garden but the art/craft activities are fab too 🙂 xx
AWWW You and Flora are just the coolest momma daughter duo, I don’t think you know how excited I get for these garden series. Everyone totes makes me want to be a kid again lol. This one reminds me of the caterpillars I use to catch and put in jars to save them when my mom was getting the grass cut. They’s turn into beautiful butterflies, lol I always had a fascination with butterflies..so admirable, so small, so free. I had no idea they knew how to hiss :’) that’s pretty cool! Thanks for sharing Lis! 😀
xx Lena
Aw, Lena, that is the LOVELIEST comment, thank you so much! And I used to catch caterpillars too 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoy these posts, I always have fun writing them too, haha! xx
I’ve seen a few posts about these subscription boxes lately and they look amazing! I think I’m going to look to sign up. My daughter is 8 but I think she would still enjoy most of these activities! Great post!
Oh, I hope you do, we can share experiences! These boxes are among the best I’ve seen anywhere, you get so much for your money and they keep giving too – we’ve just started harvesting peas and nasturtiums from an earlier M&B box’s seeds! x
This looks like such fun! It almost made me wish that I was a kid again! Flora is very lucky…
Yes indeedy, she is, although she doesn’t believe me! x
I’ve never heard of this subscription box before but I love it on so many levels. Just the fact that it encourages children to get out and get their hands dirty is amazing in a world that is becoming so incredibly screen-heavy.
Britt | http://alternativelyspeaking.ca
It’s brilliant, isn’t it? I wish it had been around when I was Flora’s age but I’m loving doing the activities with her so much. You’re right, it’s a great alternative to electronic media, which they get enough of already. x
This sounds like such an amazing box! Definitely going to be looking into these for my kids.
Heather
It really is – do let me know if you get one, we can compare notes! x
The jam jar lanterns look so cute. And perfect for summer evenings. I don’t know why, as I never do anything in my garden, but I love these posts. I really enjoy finding out which vegetables you’re going to be growing this month ? I’m glad Flora’s still enjoying them! x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Aw, thank you, we love the surprise of finding out what we’ll be growing too – although Flora wasn’t so impressed this month, haha! x
This box is such a cute idea. I’d have loved it when I was younger! I think it’s really nice that the activities encourage you to get outdoors and explore, as the world is so obsessed with social media nowadays.
That’s why we love it so much, it’s so nice to be able to do things together that don’t involve screen time. And we both love grubbing around outdoors! x
This months is such a great idea, I love Flora’s jar designs, especially the cats! These are such a lovely personalised idea and I could definitely do with a citronella candle too because there are bugs galore in my garden!
Sophie – https://sophhearts.com x
The cats are my favourite too 🙂 And we have FAR TOO MANY bugs in our garden. I’m always getting bitten when I’m doing the watering – I got bitten in my armpit the other week – I mean, HOW?????! x
Really enjoy these posts; this seems like a great box! The jam jar lanterns are so pretty ?
Thank you so much, Amy, we really love them! X
Yay! I love seeing what’s inside these Mud and Bloom boxes Lisa, they always look like so much fun! I’m loving Flora’s jam jar lanterns, she is such an artist and super creative! I might even give these a try myself sometime, they look so good and perfect for sitting outside with on these long warm summer evenings. As always I’m learning something new every time I read your posts, I’ve never heard of a hissing butterfly either! Fab post lovely! xx
Aw, thank you, Bexa. Hissing butterflies were a new one on me! Flora is so into her drawing and painting, we love seeing what she comes up with all the time. We’re very lucky! X
This is such a sweet box and such great value too. It’s a great way to expand their knowledge and horizons too! Shame they went on their nature walk on the hottest day, whoops! Maybe try again when it’s a little cooler! xxx
These boxes are so much fun. I’m so lucky to have found them (through blogging too, yay!) Yes, next time they need to wait until it’s raining, I think, haha x
Such a cute idea!! I love the lanterns and the journal, such a great way to get kids interested in the great outdoors. We don’t have a garden but we are lucky to have an allotment so hopefully when our little girl is older we can take her there, maybe do something similar to this
Kate xx
Oh, I’m sure she’d love it – find me a toddler that doesn’t like grubbing around in the dirt and picking things, haha! x
These look wonderful Lisa. It’s amazing value for money and a lovely way to keep kids in nature rather than on technology. I’m glad Flora enjoyed it!
Lots of love,
Molly
They really are, I recommend them to everyone I know, haha. Educational and fun too, win win! x
This looks amazing, and a great way to encourage kids to get hands on. I can’t believe the price for what you get, either, that’s so good!
It’s a bargain price, isn’t it? And such a lot to do too. We always learn something each month – hissing butterflies, haha! x