Skip to main content
Playground Professionals
Play and Playground eMagazine
  • Playground
    • Playground Safety
    • Construction
    • Maintenance
    • Inspection
    • Inclusion
    • Wood
    • Swing Sets
    • Nets and Ropes
    • Climbing Walls
    • Theme
    • Musical
    • Recycled
    • Residential
    • Indoor
    • Nature Play
    • Fund Raising
  • Surfacing
    • Loose Fill
    • Poured in Place
    • Rubber
    • Artificial Turf
    • Sports Court
    • Surfacing Maintenance
    • Aquatic Surfacing
  • Parks
    • Landscape
    • Benches
    • Tables
    • Trash Receptacles
    • Bike Racks
    • Drinking Fountain
    • Lighting
    • Shelters
    • Shade Structures
    • Restrooms
    • Dog Park
    • Skatepark
  • Athletics
    • Sports Equipment
    • Fitness and Exercise
    • Bleachers
  • Aquatics
    • Spray Parks
    • Surf Parks
    • Water Safety
    • Pool
    • Water Slides
  • Play
    • Amusement Park
    • Education
    • Toys
    • Parenting
    • Bullying
    • Health and Safety
    • Games
    • Inflatables

Search Playground Professional's Archives

Home
  • Playground
    • Playground Safety
    • Construction
    • Maintenance
    • Inspection
    • Inclusion
    • Wood
    • Swing Sets
    • Nets and Ropes
    • Climbing Walls
    • Theme
    • Musical
    • Recycled
    • Residential
    • Indoor
    • Nature Play
    • Fund Raising
  • Surfacing
    • Loose Fill
    • Poured in Place
    • Rubber
    • Artificial Turf
    • Sports Court
    • Surfacing Maintenance
    • Aquatic Surfacing
  • Parks
    • Landscape
    • Benches
    • Tables
    • Trash Receptacles
    • Bike Racks
    • Drinking Fountain
    • Lighting
    • Shelters
    • Shade Structures
    • Restrooms
    • Dog Park
    • Skatepark
  • Athletics
    • Sports Equipment
    • Fitness and Exercise
    • Bleachers
  • Aquatics
    • Spray Parks
    • Surf Parks
    • Water Safety
    • Pool
    • Water Slides
  • Play
    • Amusement Park
    • Education
    • Toys
    • Parenting
    • Bullying
    • Health and Safety
    • Games
    • Inflatables
  • Teenagers Need Active Play, Too!
  • The Importance of Good Playground Supervision
  • Age Appropriate Play?
  • Play Equipment Standards for Infants & Toddlers
  • Superman or Landscape Architect
  • Proper Receiving & Care of Playground Equipment
  • Bullying on the Playground

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Playground
  3. Nature
  4. Making a Mini Pond for Your Kids

Making a Mini Pond for Your Kids

Nature
PGP Contributor
By Sally Keys on
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print
4191
Lovely purple pond flowers

Photo by Pamela Nhlengethwa on Unsplash

Making a mini pond is a wonderfully creative way of introducing young children to the wildlife in the garden. They can create a habitat for insects and small amphibians, and watch how the environment evolves over the months to follow. You can show children how to monitor, count and observe in a very simple, interactive way. They will be at home in the garden and enjoy making an interactive play environment. 

Materials to make a pond

You will need a suitable, sturdy and waterproof container to make your mini pond. This can be a bucket, a half-barrel, or even a washing-up bowl. If you are planning to have your pond submerged in the soil, then you will need tools to dig a hole, slightly bigger than your container. You will need to put some aquatic plants in your pond, which will help keep it clean. Water Starwort or Water Speedwell are good varieties. 

Where to place your mini pond

A mini pond should be placed in direct sunlight in order for it to flourish and grow. Aquatic plants and pondweeds require sun in order to oxygenate the water and help to keep it clean. If the plants are doing their job correctly, then the pond water won’t become stagnant. Pond safety in the garden is extremely important. Small children can drown, even in a small amount of water. If you are submerging your pond, make sure that it can be easily seen. If your pond is bigger than 50cm wide, it is a good idea to put a mesh just under the surface of the water. 

Filling your mini pond

When you are filling your pond with water, you must only use rainwater. Water from the faucet has been processed and cleaned and will have a different pH from rainwater. Do not put fish in your pond, as they require plenty of space and water that is continuously oxygenated. It is a good idea, however, to put stones and gravel into your mini pond, to help wildlife gain access. It is not advised to transfer frogspawn from another pond, as this can also transfer diseases. However, you will find that wildlife will very quickly be attracted to your pond. 

Child with a bug

Creating a mini pond is an ideal project for young children, and they will be delighted to see it grow. It will encourage them to spend time in the garden and help them to develop a love of nature. 

PGP Contributor
Sally Keys
4191
1
min read
A- A+
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print
Boy wearing earphones.
Nov 05, 2019
Nature

How The Outdoors Can Help Children Learn About Indoor Air Quality

Jackie Edwards
brothers sawing and hammering wood outside
Mar 10, 2021
Nature

Teaching Kids DIY Outdoors

Jackie Edwards
children playing in a puddle
Oct 01, 2008
Nature

Nature Deficit Disorder

Playground Magazine

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

Home

Follow Us

Play and playground news and information since 2001

  • instagram
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • linkedin

Company

  • Playground Magazine
  • Spotlight Search
  • Contributors
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Copyright © 2001 - 2025 Playground Professionals, LLC

Footer menu

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions