Garden Detectives

Time

Games

4 3 2 1 Early-Mid Stages

Benefits

Participants

One to One, Self Led or Group Activity

What you need

26 postcard-size cards of the whole alphabet – write one big letter on each
A flip chart or large piece of paper stuck to the wall

Intro

I spy with my little eye something beginning with B… Blackberries! Bluebells! Buttercups! Whether you’re playing outside or inside, this fun cognitive word game gets everyone thinking about what grows in the garden, and making links between letters and themes.

This isn’t a competition; everyone should be encouraged to help each other and enjoy simply themselves.

Top tip

Also can be a game for an individual. Write the letters down one side on a sheet of paper. Write at the top that they need to list anything they might find in the garden beginning with each letter of the alphabet. Eg A: Apples, B: Bees, C:Conkers

The Activity

Invite each person to take a turn to choose a letter card and hold it up to the group so everyone can see
Ask them to think of a flower, tree, herb or plant that begins with that letter
Encourage the rest of the group to join in, especially if that person is struggling
Write the answer on the flip chart or piece of paper
Spark a conversation about the plant, perhaps helping them to share a memory of it. “So, R could be for rose. Has anyone ever bought you a bunch of roses?”, “What is your favourite colour rose?”, “Have you ever grown roses in your garden?”
If the weather is nice, you may want to take this activity outside, so people can see, smell and touch the things they are naming. This also might help trigger some words to go with the letters
If you play the game indoors, you can play some garden sounds to inspire answers, and create a relaxing background soundtrack