Resources
Gardening activity resources for children
As part of our emergency response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, we have created a library of children’s activities to help keep families busy at home. One thing that Covid-19 has highlighted is that gardening has no borders. We are all finding solace in our personal green space, wherever we are in the world. Our family resources are free to download in English, Arabic and Farsi so that more people can join in and enjoy gardening.
View these resources in Arabic | عرض هذه الموارد باللغة العربية
View these resources in Farsi | این منابع را به زبان فارسی مشاهده کنید
View these resources in Ukrainian | Переглянути ці ресурси українською мовою
Lenny Lemon’s Gardening Activities
Join ‘Lenny Lemon’ for some fun gardening activities to enjoy at home or school.
Our thanks go to the Royal Horticultural Society for allowing us to adapt a selection of their resources for gardeners and families living in refugee and IDP (internally displaced persons) communities.
There are 21 activities to enjoy making. Suitable for ages 3+.
Don’t forget to share your completed activities with us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter – tag our account name and use the #OneGardenAtATime hashtag and we’ll repost the best ones. We’ll also show your fantastic creations to the gardeners we know in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) – they are also taking part and would love to hear from you.
Set 1
Sunflower pot people
Pressed flowers frame
Make a kite
Butterfly crop protector
Make super plant labels
Make a crown from leaves or petals
Pebble painting
Plant tin can herbs
Make an origami seed packet
Create a rainbow collage
Make newspaper pots
Set 2
Make a ladybird and bug home
Drinking trays for birds
Grow snapdragons
Make and follow a trail
Animal leaf pictures
Container planting with a twist
Mr and Mrs Cresshead
Cane toppers
Make a seed storage box
Build a mini wormery
Time capsule activity book
This 15-page activity book is packed full of fun activities to keep children busy while we stay home. It includes writing and drawing activities – many with a gardening theme, such as ‘I spy with my little eye’ (identifying items in your garden and at home), ‘what grows in your garden’ diary and much more.
Suitable for ages 3+.
Download the booklet and print at home.
Recipes
Khanem’s Tawa
This traditional Syrian main course has layers of beef, aubergine, tomato and potato. Think of it a bit like a dairy free moussaka. The addition of lemon and parsley freshen and lift this filling meal. Recipe serves eight people.
Download in Arabic | تحميل بالعربية
Nosheen’s Kousa Mahshi
You’ll need a little patience for this recipe but we think the result is well worth the effort. These stuffed courgettes and tomatoes with beef and rice serve four people. To make this recipe vegetarian, replace the beef with chickpeas.
Download in Arabic | تحميل بالعربية
Noora’s Molokhia with Chicken & Simple Tabbouleh
Molokhia, or jute mallow, is a popular ingredient of middle eastern dishes and is grown widely by gardeners in refugee and IDP camps in Kurdistan. This delicious recipe for molokhia with chicken has an accompanying tabbouleh recipe.
Download in Arabic | تحميل بالعربية
Information about the Lemon Tree Trust
Impact Report 2018
(PDF)
‘About our work’ leaflet
(PDF)
Transforming land, transforming lives
(PDF)
Greening innovation and urban agriculture in refugee and IDP camps explained.
Support poster
Use this poster to help promote your fundraising activities and events in support of the Lemon Tree Trust. Alternatively, display the poster in your window or public notice board to raise awareness of our work. Download the poster and print at home.
Liked these resources?
Here are a few ways you can find out more about our work, get involved and help more families living in refugee and IDP (internally displaced persons) camps to grow food and flowers.
- Donate to our Gardener to Gardener Seed Appeal. With your support we can continue providing educational gardening activities and Home Garden Kits to help people who have been forced to flee their homes to start a home garden in camp. Find out more about our Appeal and make a donation or send us packets of seed.
- Join our mailing list to be among the first to hear about developments at the Lemon Tree Trust with our seasonal newsletter.
- Follow the Lemon Tree Trust on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Together we are creating a global community of gardeners and changing the conversation around forced migration.
In the news…
The Lemon Tree Trust’s work and refugee gardener stories feature in…
2020
- Where The Leaves Fall – issue 4
- Bloom magazine – issue 7
- Floret Flowers – interview with Founder Stephanie Hunt
- The Guardian: ‘Gardening tips: donate seeds to refugee gardeners’ – Jane Perrone
- Woman’s Weekly magazine
- Easy Gardens magazine
- Sustainable Food Trust: ‘Gardening brings hope in refugee camps’ – Jennie Spears
- The National: ‘Refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan seek solace in camp gardens amid coronavirus lockdown’ – Olivia Cuthbert
2019
2018
- Gardens Illustrated: ‘Gardens of hope’ – Caroline Beck
- The National: ”In my garden, I feel like I’m in my kingdom’: the growing green spaces of Iraq’s refugee camps’ – Melanie Hunt
- RHS Chelsea Flower Show – a round-up of coverage featuring the Lemon Tree Trust garden
- Food Tank: ‘Urban Agriculture and Forced Displacement in Iraq: “This garden is my kingdom”’ – Helene Schulze
Research papers and articles
These articles, some of which reference the Lemon Tree Trust, are written by academic researchers working in the area of urban agriculture and life sciences. This content covers several interdisciplinary topics, including forced migration and the creation of ‘accidental cities’, food and water systems/security, greening innovation, agroforestry, biodiversity, and sustainability.
- MSc Thesis Rural Sociology – Rural Sociology – Wageningen University: ‘Cultivating home : an exploratory study of greening and gardening in Domiz 1 camp, the Kurdistan region of Iraq’ – Maike de Leeuw
- International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics, volume 14, issue 2 (2019): ‘Cultivating refuge: The role of urban agriculture amongst refugees and forced migrants in the Kurdistan region of Iraq’ – M. Tomkins, S. Yousef , A. Adam-bradford, C. Perkins, E. Grosrenaud, M. Mctough & A. Viljoen
- ECHO Asia Notes, issue 38 (2018): ‘Refugee camps as microcosm: restoration & sustainability in an accidental city’ – Gene Fifer
- Urban Agriculture Magazine, issue 31 (2016): ‘Linking urban farming and urban planning in times of crisis’ – Andrew Adam-Bradford (page 38)
- Agriculture for Development, issue 28 (2016): ‘Agroforestry for refugee camps’ – Andrew Adam-Bradford (page 31)
Books
International Handbook of Occupational Therapy Interventions: Tania Wiseman and Gaynor Sadlo report the many physical benefits of outdoor exercise, the community benefits of doing things together, the importance of green spaces in reducing stress and increasing resilience, and the value of activity and occupational therapy in trauma recovery.
The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature: Psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Sue Stuart-Smith shares how being in nature can radically transform our health, wellbeing and confidence. She presents scientific findings, insights and stories from asylum seekers, veterans, inner-city young people and other groups on how nature has helped with trauma, stress, depression and other health issues.
At this time of year when the weather is turning colder in refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, our gardening activities are more important than ever to bring people together and give them hope for their futures. That’s why, this Christmas, we have launched a special appeal, where … Continued
For the last few winters, the road linking the four sections of the Azadi Community Garden in Domiz 1 camp has become extremely waterlogged. Heavy winter rains often wash away the top layer, leaving deep ruts in both sides and with each heavy rainfall, the roads become fast flowing streams and in the case of … Continued
We’ve set up a mini library in our lounge area of the Azadi Community Garden in Domiz 1 camp. It’s a small way we can help our children to grow and flourish. Right now we only have a few books in our cabinet but we will continue to add to our small collection so that … Continued