A local gardening initiative has released a series of how-to videos for Bay of Plenty kids to grow a green thumb.

Incorporated society Peoples, Plants, Schools (PiPS) works with Mount Maunganui and Papamoa based schools to support the running of gardening programmes.

When schools shut almost a month ago, the team made the call to go digital to continue to pass on gardening knowledge to the younger generation.

PiPS garden facilitator Lura Buhr says it's their mission to give kids hope for the future in these uncertain times through a series of simple videos.

She says basic how-to videos will teach kids how to set-up a garden bed in lockdown and how to sprout a seed.

Complex videos about regenerative gardening and growing food will be released later down the track.

Laura says the videos are 'kid-friendly” and deliver information on growing produce in the Bay of Plenty climate.

'You don't have to be a garden expert to understand these videos - they are for everyone.”

Kids will need a can-do attitude, a fork and a spade to take partake in these videos, says Laura.

'It's about giving it a go - if it doesn't work don't worry about it,” she reiterates.

'You don't need a lot of tools - we try to keep it basic because it is hard to access things right now.”

She says the purpose of these videos is to continue teaching Tauranga kids how to care for Papatūānuku.

'We can't go into schools right now, which we are so gutted about. We decided to make the best of the situation and teach kids how we can care for nature online - and that's where gardening comes in.

'We have a vision to develop a culture of kaitiakitanga, food sovereignty and resilience throughout our community”

PiPS has been running in Tauranga since 2016. The gardening tutorials, which will be released on a regualar basis, are presented by Laura and garden facilitator Clare Rodgers.

Laura started working with PiPS at the beginning of the year. She has a teaching degree, and previously studied permaculture.

This roles combines two of the things she is most passionate about, she says. 'I just fell in love with it.”

The short videos can be accessed here. For more information about the initiative visit www.pipsbop.org