Kids Garden Month 

Kids Garden Month Challenge

Kids Garden Month is our annual celebration of kids in the garden! Each April, we host a contest to celebrate kid gardeners, as well as lifting up the many positive benefits gardening has on kids and their communities.

About the Kids Garden Month Challenge

Kids are invited to complete one or more challenges in the Kids Garden Month Challenge. Each challenge has a unique prize, and kids who complete at least five challenges will be entered to win the grand prize!

• Kids ages 0-18 are eligible to participate. Entries can come from individuals, groups, or classes.
• Creativity is encouraged! The use of AI is not permitted in any portion of challenge entries.
• The Kids Garden Month Challenge is open April 1-30, 2025.
• All entries must be submitted online by an adult. [Challenges should be completed by kids and submitted by adults.]
• Download the Challenge printout to keep track of your progress!
• Winners will be announced June 3, 2025.

Prizes

Each challenge has it's own prize. Kids are encouraged to complete multiple challenges for more chances to win!

All kids or groups that complete five out of ten challenges will be eligible to win the grand prize: An Urbana Sprout Farm, perfect for growing vegetables, herbs or flowers in outdoor and indoor areas with limited space. Thank you to Vita for generously donating this prize!

Entries are welcome from around the world, but only entries from the US and US territories are eligible to win prizes. Due to shipping restrictions, certain prizes may be restricted to the lower 48 states. We will do our best to offer substitute prizes.

Challenge Details

Print the Kids Garden Month Challenge Printout to have in your home or classroom to keep track of the challenges.

The Kids Garden Month Challenges are:

• Grow a seed in a cup. Send a photo! What observations did your young gardeners make?
  Evaluation and prize: All completed entries will be submitted into a drawing for a seed collection. Three winners will be chosen.
  Inspiration: Seed Viewer
• Make a collage of your dream garden! Look through a seed catalog (online or in print) and design a garden. You can do this as a digital or physical collage. Attach a photo and a brief description of the garden.
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on originality and creativity. Three winners will be sent a seed collection to closely match their dream garden.
  Inspiration: Seed Catalog Fun, 2018 Kids Garden Month Dream Garden winners.
• Interview a gardener! Who do you know that keeps a garden? Ask why they garden, who taught them about gardening, and what they like about it. Summarize your interview (200 words or less) and send a photo.
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on content and creativity. Three winning pairs will be chosen. Each pair will receive a Rainwand, watering can, and hose nozzles from our friends at Dramm.
• Draw a picture of your favorite pollinator. Tell us why you love it and a fun fact about this pollinator. (Submit a photo of your drawing and a brief description.)
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. Three winners will receive seeds to start a pollinator garden.
  Inspiration: KidsGardening pollinator resources
• Do a gardening activity (on KidsGardening.org or otherwise) with a friend or family member. What activity did you do? What did you like about it and what would you do differently next time? Would you recommend it to other kids? Submit a 30 second video or a written review.
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on accuracy and creativity. Three winners will receive a seed collection.
  Inspiration: KidsGardening activities
• Design KidsGardening merch! Design something that would make a great sticker or t-shirt. If chosen, we will turn your merch design into reality and send you one!
  Evaluation and prize:Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. The winning entry will be used as the basis for a piece of KidsGardening merchandise (a t-shirt, sticker, hat, totebag, or other). The winning designer will receive a piece of merchandise.
• Investigate soil! Gather a soil sample from your garden or nearby outdoor space and tell us about it. What type of soil do you have, and what will grow best in that type of soil? Send a photo or drawing and a 100 word description.
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on accuracy. One winner will be chosen to receive a grow bag and seed collection.
  Inspiration: Make a Mud Pie
• Invent a botanical product. What would you create? Is there a garden scent or benefit you would add to a skincare, haircare, or home product? Draw a picture of the label and tell us what you’d create!
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. Three winner will receive botanical candles and a seed collection.
  Inspiration: Grow Your Own Herbal Tea
• Draw a garden comic (1 page only). Send a .pdf or image of your garden comic!
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. One winner’s work will be featured in an upcoming KidsGardening resource as well as a seed collection.
• Create a song or jingle about the garden. Share a short video clip performance. (15 second limit)
  Evaluation and prize: Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. Three winners will be featured in KidsGardening social media posts and be awarded KidsGardening merch.