From fairy gardens to bird feeders: Here’s where kids can find these popular kits

As the pandemic continues, everyone is finding creative ways to replace things we can’t do. The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens has been distributing take-home nature kits to replace their usual in-person classes for kids.

The monthly kits started back in January, and they’ve continued to get more interest from the community. Each kit is free, though the arboretum suggests a $5 donation.

Topics have ranged from constructing fairy gardens and winter bird feeders to making a crafty glow stick firefly. Each kit comes not only with an activity but also with information that’s adaptable for kids from preschool to early elementary age.

For the bird feeders, the kit included peanut butter, birdseed, pinecones and Popsicle sticks to spread the peanut butter. Along with them came information on why you might create a bird feeder in the wintertime, what birds you might see outside trying to eat it and how to tell different birds apart.

“It’s not just a busywork job for the kids. Hopefully, they’re learning something that will stick with them for a while,” said Katharine Garrison, education coordinator for the arboretum.

Usually, within about two days, the kits for the month are gone. Garrison and volunteers Nancy Jernberg and Patricia Griggs put together the kits with their own assembly line each month. They make between 50 and 75 kits, depending on the supplies.

By far the most popular was the fairy garden kit that came with wood pieces, moss, leaves, sticks, rocks and eco-glitter for fairy dust.

“That went out within hours within hours of it being made available. Some people were standing in line waiting for it,” Jernberg said. “The arboretum has all of those fairy gnome houses handmade every year for Luminary, and it has quite a following.”

Garrison has tried to make each kit seasonally appropriate.

“We just had our July one on lightning bugs, because they’re very active right now. That way kids can connect it to the outside world,” Garrison said.

Jernberg, who is chairwoman of the education committee, likes the learning component of the kits.

“We always include not only an information sheet on how to go about it, (but) when we did the herb garden, there were lots of herb seeds, and we talked about the importance of herbs in the environment,” Jernberg said. “We certainly view the arboretum as a learning laboratory.”

Garrison compared the kits to the trendy monthly subscription boxes many people get in the mail, except there isn’t a price-tag on these. Financial support for the project comes from the Friends of the Arboretum.

“It’s been really positive. We see a lot of repeat customers,” Garrison said. “(As a mom), I feel like anything that’s a package ready to go, and I don’t have to plan it out too far or too in-depth, is helpful to make it easy (for people like me) to play with their kids and learn with their kids.”

Overland Park resident Jessica Palm has used several of the kits with her son, Lincoln.

“He’s a toddler, so he doesn’t totally understand the different types of birds, but he got to take a toilet paper roll and a pinecone and put peanut butter on it and sprinkle birdseed. … Then he could see the birds coming into our yard, and he thought it was so cool,” Palm said.

She was impressed with the contents of the kits.

“I love that it’s a curated activity that has really great instructions and background for me as a parent to share with my kiddo. … I can talk with him about the topic they have for that month in a way that’s meaningful to our family,” Palm said.

The arboretum plans continue the program every month until at least the end of this year.