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How long will it take?

About 20 to 30 minutes to pot up, then a long wait until spring.

What you will need

• a plant pot
• crocks
• soil and compost
• some tree seeds - conkers from a horse chestnut tree, acorns from an oak tree, and helicopters from a sycamore tree are all good ones to look for

Step-by-step guide

1 Take your children for a walk in the park or in the countryside to collect some seeds. Conkers are always a good seed for planting. Check their seeds do not have any holes in them - if they have, it means insect larvae will be inside eating!

2 Place some crocks at the base of a pot, then nearly fill it with soil, mixed with some compost.

3 Ask your children to plant their seed about 2cm (0.8in) deep, then cover it up with soil and compost, watering it well.

4 They can put their pot in a shady place in the garden for the winter.

5 Ensure the children check it from time to time to see if the soil is too dry - but they shouldn't overwater it!

6 Explain to your child that they will need to wait until spring to see if their seed has sprouted.

7 They can grow their tree in a pot as long as they keep repotting it into a bigger pot whenever it gets too cramped.

Tips and advice

• It is worth planting up several of each variety of seeds they collect, in case some don't work. The species listed above will give pretty reliable results, but you can collect other tree seeds and try them too. Some are difficult because they need complex temperature conditions of alternate frost and warmth to germinate, but they may get that in your garden.
• All trees produce seeds. Some trees are insect-pollinated and others are wind-pollinated. Either way, the trees will have flowers - usually in the spring. It is a worthwhile activity taking children on a walk in the spring to look at tree flowers. Trees grown from seed take a few years to begin producing flowers and seeds.