Speedy, cheap Easter presents for children

A DIY Easter present idea for children

I'm not really one for giving children huge amounts of chocolate on 'Easter Egg Day'. So this year we've been planting special sunflower seeds with homemade measuring sticks. They're good for all ages - the little ones can enjoying 'colouring' their cut out flower shapes, and older children can practice their numbers and measuring .They're practically free, AND they'll last longer than any chocolate-induced tummy ache.

For an even speedier option, all you need is a packet of wildflower seed and a child-size patch of bare earth. You could even trace round their footprints with some sand and fill in with the seeds.

Lettuce, broad beans in loo rolls, courgettes... so exciting!

It's been so utterly cold this week that we've not really ventured out into the garden. Instead we've been admiring our little seedlings, and planting some more veg seeds at the kitchen table.

The tidying-up stage wasn't exactly super speedy, but we couldn't believe our eyes when the pak choi seeds came up just three days later. The perfect match for oodles of noodles in a few weeks' time. Far more interesting than bunny-shaped chocolate!

Pak Choi, just six days after planting