“To plant a tree is to believe in tomorrow.”
- Audrey Hepburn
During the lockdown with everyone stuck indoors, away from fresh air and nature the idea came to me about bringing “Nature Home” by creating DIY Gardening kits for my children.
With no opportunity to go outside and meet their friends, as they used to in the past, it was getting difficult to keep my young children, a 10-year old bright minded daughter and a 7 year old hyper active son, busy.
Added challenge was to keep them away from their digital devices, on which they were now spending over 7 hours every day, due to Online school.
It reminded me of my childhood when we didn’t have all the distractions of Internet and Online games. Back home in India, we would spend our time tending to the backyard garden, enjoying sowing seeds in soil, watering the plants, growing flowers and vegetables.
I wanted to bring those wonderful memories to my children and teach them the amazing benefits of gardening. Gardening is a stress reliever, immunity booster, perfect workout, great source of consuming Vitamin D without feeling the heat and above all it promotes healthy diet.
With this thought I started searching for a kit which was for Kids and Environment Friendly but couldn’t find any. Most of the kits were made of plastic and didn’t provide any options for organic soil.
I wanted small pots, perfect for precious little hands, easy for planting seeds and ideal for small spaces. I researched online, visited many garden nurseries around Dubai, and learnt, that most clay potteries are near the mountains of Fujairah.
I decided to visit Fujairah to find out more, and once the lockdown eased, I convinced my husband to drive 150kms and discover the potteries in the Masafi region, of Fujairah Mountains.
Fujairah is located on the Gulf of Oman and is famous for its ever-lasting rugged mountains.
It is one of the most fertile regions of UAE. From vegetables to fruits, you can find the best produce there in the sueprvision of amazing people of Fujairah.
I visited many potteries in the area and found a small pottery, which had an artisan/potter by the name of A. Hussain. He comes from a family of potters who are in this business for over 3 generations.
Originally from Pakistan, he moved to Masafi area in the early 1980’s and has been making clay items like utensils, pots, clay ovens, garden ornaments and more using the clay sourced from around the mountains of Fujairah.
He was quite helpful, in understanding my requirements of size, dimensions for the pot and the design I was looking for.
In fact, within 2 minutes, he made 3-4 different samples for the gardening pots, right in front of my eyes.
I finalized my order with him and agreed to come back in a week to take delivery of the pots I wanted for the DIY kit.
Next task on hand, was to find the right seeds, and most importantly, Non-GMO seeds. I decided to drive 1 hour to a wholesale market, where you could find all types of seeds for flowers, herbs, vegetables and houseplants.
I sourced organic soil from my local nursery, to support them in a small way considering the tough times we all face, especially small businesses in and around the big city we live in.
The DIY “Made in UAE” gardening kit was now complete, having its contents of handmade clay pots, planter drip tray, organic soil in a jute bag and Non-GMO seeds in a paper envelope.
Also included was a Planting instruction guide, which shared Tips and tricks for the children to be better at gardening. All items were then packed in a biodegradable kraft paper box.
The DIY Gardening kit was an instant success with my kids at home, they enjoyed the unboxing of all the items, putting soil in each pot, planting the seed, and also adding a small wooden stick to each pot, with their name, the seed type and the date they planted them.
The excitement and happiness of my kids watering the pots daily and watching their reaction, the first time they saw their seeds sprout and turn into seedlings and finally into flowers or vegetables, is unforgettable.
This DIY kit is perfect to gift for your friends or family with kids, is a fun family activity and it will not only keep the kids busy for a long time, but also help them get closer to nature and care for our environment.
There are many variations of the kit available on our site. Shop for your favourite!