Family Friendly Activities

Green thumbs of all ages will bee-inspired at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, presented by Scotts, as critters and creativity make for the ultimate family day out!

Below are educational activities and their site location at the show. You can download the show list of all exhibitors and show map prior to the show.

Scotts Kids Bingo!

Scotts Show Bingo is back and fun for the whole family! Download the Bingo Card and search high and low to find all the things on your card. Once you’re done, head to the Scotts Welcome Garden for your winners stamp!

Garden Express – Site A32

Garden Express will be presenting a 30min talk all things Wollemi Pine for school children on the Welcome stage (not main stage).

Special guest appearance Wollie the Dino during the talk.

Thursday 11:15am & Friday 10:30am

Environment Protection Authority (EPA) – Site A40

EPA’s GardenSafe helps you dig a little deeper into backyard soil. It is a free, soil screening program that turns you into a backyard scientist.

Before the show, register your home for GardenSafe by following this link www.epa.vic.gov.au/gardensafe. We’ll send you special instructions to collect your soil samples from your home. It’s easy – just follow the steps in your email.

While you’re at the show, bring your soil to our GardenSafe stall. EPA scientists will be there with special equipment. They’ll use X-rays to see what’s in your soil – kind of like a health check-up for your garden!

Our scientists will screen your soil for eight common trace elements. These elements include:

• lead, which is common near industrial or built-up areas
• arsenic, which may be found in areas where we used to mine for gold

If you leave your soil with us, we’ll take it to a lab to do some more tests. We’ll look at things like:

• soil composition
• organic carbon
• soil nutrients phosphorus and potassium

In a few weeks, we’ll send you a report explaining what’s in your soil and what you can do to get the most out of your garden. So grab your shovel and let’s uncover the mysteries of your garden soil together!

Grow Together Garden presented by Victorian Schools Garden Program, Foodcube and the Sustainable Landscape Co.  – Site A45

The Grow Together Garden will bring together beautiful edible garden displays, celebrating the multiculturalism of our amazing city. This year, we feature a Cambodian garden and Indian garden with thanks to the Cambodian Association of Victoria and the Federation of Indian Associations Victoria.

There will be lots of free garden based educational kids’ activities throughout the space, interactive demonstrations, a sustainable scarecrow display and much more, all encouraging kids to explore, learn and grow their passion for gardening, nature and plants.

Victorian Schools Garden Program – Site A45

The VSGP invites children and to get their hands dirty potting an edible seedling that they can take home, watch grow, cook and eat in a recipe provided.

Children/students of all ages can also explore the microscopic world of vegetables, plant and insects.

Wheen Bee Foundation – Site  A45

The Wheen Bee Foundation is bringing an exciting interactive display to the Grow Together Garden. There will be activities for bee lovers of all ages, with teachers from Bee School by Beechworth Honey on hand with fun and educational resources from the Centre for Bee Education. Activities include an observation hive, a native bee display, Powerful Pollinator Planting Guides and daily prize giveaways for teachers and the general public.

Urban Plant Health Network – Site A45

The Urban Plant Health Network will be back this year to encourage all kids to be pest warriors and look out for bugs in their backyards. Our favourite Agriculture Victoria entomologists, horticulture and biosecurity staff will be around to talk about good bugs and bad bugs you can expect to find in your neighbourhood and how to report pests if you find them.

There will be free showbags for kids and live minibeasts on display as well as preserved insects.

FoodCube – Site A45c

Visit the Foodcube marquee to discover tastes from around the world. Nurture your child’s budding love for gardening in our immersive, educational experience. A series of displays will guide children and adults alike through the garden to learn about wicking beds, recycling for sustainability, worms and nutrient recycling, pollinators in the garden and more. Don’t miss out on the excitement – sow the seeds of knowledge to inspire the next generation of Urban Farmers!

Let creativity blossom with our exclusivecolouring page – design your dream garden and discover the joy of nurturing your own Foodcube wicking bed masterpiece.

Horticulture Careers Hub – Site A49

Explore how you can grow your future with a career in horticulture. Transform your passion for plants into a rewarding and innovative vocation. 

Melbourne Polytechnic – Site A 49

Melbourne Polytechnic delivers vocational horticultural training across Certificate II to Diploma of Horticulture. There will be interactive activities and staff available to discuss career pathways for the duration of the show. We offer the Certificate II as the Vet In Schools program for Year 11 & 12 (under VDSS), parks and gardens apprenticeships for working aged people and post-secondary education with a strong focus on hands-on, practical learning.

Spear & Jackson – Site B20

Spear & Jackson tools are designed to make gardening a breeze.

Whether you’re planting flowers or digging in the dirt, our tools will help you do it with ease!

So, come join us at site 20 and let’s have a blast together at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show!

We’re also hosting a super cool competition just for kids! Come by and guess how many jelly beans are in the jar for a chance to win a fantastic kids gardening pack! It’s gonna be so much fun!

Plus, every kid who enters gets a special pink or green hand transplanter to take home! These transplanters are perfect for helping you plant flowers and veggies in your garden.

Drewitts Bulbs – Site B38

Children will be allowed to decorate a pot and design their own plant label, followed by planting a bulb in the pot that they can watch grow and bloom. A short message will be given on Mental Health, and the correlation to life and being a bulb.

A kids touch, feel, smell area with aromatic, kid friendly plants is also set up for kids to enjoy.

Gardening 4 Kids – Site B57

Gardening with Kids is partnering with Beyond Blue to provide children with an opportunity to dig for vegies that grow underground.

Gardening 4 Kids stocks a huge range of quality children’s gardening gloves, tools and seed growing kits.  We offer our own product range to schools, kinders, day care centres etc. at wholesale prices and 10% off all of our other items.  Educators, please pop in to see at Gardening 4 Kids and sign up to receive wholesale information.

The Vegie Dig is an open ended activity allowing children to get their hands dirty (or wear the gloves provided), and find and identify vegetables that grow underground.  It will be located between Beyond Blue at site B58 and Gardening 4 Kids at site B57.

Beyond Blue –  Site B58

Beyond Blue is proud to be the official charity partner for the 2024 Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. We want to encourage all children and their families to be not only physically healthy, but mentally healthy. Getting outside into nature, nourishing your mind and body is a great way to do this. We have a range of activities that encourage mindfulness, curiosity and learning about where our food comes from.

We would love children of all ages to come visit us at site B58 and get involved in the many fun interactive activities we will have set up throughout the five days.

Start the day with a mindfulness session run by Wayapa Wuurrk. Sessions at 10am, 10.30am, 11am and 11.30am (Wednesday – Friday)

Have a ball with natives and create a seed ball with Ceres. You’ll learn more about the importance of biodiversity whilst getting your hands dirty. Sessions at 12pm, 12.45pm and 1.30pm. (Wednesday – Friday).

Dig for veggies in our pop-up veggie garden and learn more about where your food comes from (all day, Wednesday – Sunday)

Add a butterfly to our wellbeing wall and learn more about ways to stay well (all day Wednesday – Sunday)

Play some giant games, chill out in our picnic area or do some arts and crafts at our site ( all day, Wednesday – Sunday)

Everyone who visits our site will receive a showbag. We can’t wait to see you there!

Spear & Jackson – Site B20

Spear & Jackson tools are designed to make gardening a breeze.

Whether you’re planting flowers or digging in the dirt, our tools will help you do it with ease!

So, come join us at site 20 and let’s have a blast together at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show!

We’re also hosting a super cool competition just for kids! Come by and guess how many jelly beans are in the jar for a chance to win a fantastic kids gardening pack! It’s gonna be so much fun!

Plus, every kid who enters gets a special pink or green hand transplanter to take home! These transplanters are perfect for helping you plant flowers and veggies in your garden

Other Children’s Activities

Japanese Tools Australia – Stite A16

Sell high quality gardening and hand tools for professionals, trades people and hobbyists.

Come visit the JTA team and make your very own pair of Japanese chopsticks. Choose from a variety of timbers, to make some shavings using our chopstick jigs and smoothing planes. The activity will be explained and is safe for children from 5yrs up (with adult supervision).

Cost: $10