Flower Garden
Filled with excitement, a city girl and her father pick out a wonderful assortment of flowers, carry them home, and, sitting on newspaper, lovingly transplant them to a window box as a birthday surprise for Mom.
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
Go on a tour of eco-friendly farms around the globe! From urban gardens to farms under the sea, discover the many different sustainable ways people have been growing food for centuries, and new innovations that are battling the effects of climate change on farming. Rhyming text and insert boxes with definitions for new vocabulary words make the topic accessible to young learners. End matter includes detailed information about each country's farming practice, sustainable farming, and more.
Gardens are for Growing
Sunishine is for soaking up, and seeds are meant for sowing. Raindrops give small sprouts a drink, and gardens are for growing. In this tender poem, the love between a father and daughter blossoms alongside the seeds they plant together. As the garden grows, the daughter grows from a toddler to a teen and finally to a woman with a child of her own. Spring is meant for brand new starts, and hearts are meant for knowing. Homes are made to call you back where gardens are for growing.
Grandpa's Garden
This beautifully told story follows Billy from early spring to late summer as he helps his grandpa on his vegetable patch. They dig the hard ground, sow rows of seeds, and keep them watered and safe from slugs. When harvest time arrives, they can pick all the vegetables and fruit they have grown. Children will be drawn in by the poetry of the language and the warm illustrations, while also catching the excitement of watching things grow!
Green Bean! Green Bean!
A girl plants the seed of a green bean and watches it grow and mature through the seasons, even providing a nook in which to read a book. Includes supplementary information about the life cycle of plants, pertinent vocabulary, and activities.
Growing Green: A First Book of Gardening
From strawberries in galoshes to herbs in recycled tin cans, this easy-to-follow gardening book contains fifteen simple (and delicious!) projects for budding young gardeners. Kids can learn all they need to know to grow their own fruit, herbs, and vegetables in whatever space they have at home, whether it be a windowsill or yard. Bright, engaging illustrations and clear instructions make this a great gift for any young child curious about where their food comes from and eager to grow some delectables themselves.
Growing Vegetable Soup
"Dad says we are going to grow vegetable soup." So begins Lois Ehlert’s bright, bold picture book about vegetable gardening for the very young. The necessary tools are pictured and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean, pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot). Then the real gardening happens... planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, chopping, and cooking! In the end? "It was the best soup ever." Ehlert’s simple, colorful cut-paper-style illustrations are child-friendly, as is the big black type. A recipe for vegetable soup tops it all off!
Gwendolyn's Pet Garden
Gwendolyn longs for a pet. What kind? Any kind! How many legs? Two, four, ten—she's not picky! But her parents have other ideas, and instead they give her...a box of dirt. "It smells of swamp," Gwendolyn says—but her parents say it smells of possibilities. And once Gwendolyn gets savvy about seeds and soil, sun, and shade, she finds they are right. The dirt starts performing some amazing tricks, and soon she has a whole pet garden of her very own—it might not have "any legs at all, but it was alive, and Gwendolyn could tallk to it, care for it, and watch it grow." Gwendolyn's enthusiasm and pride are sure to inspire gardeners and inspiring gardeners alike.
Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Harlem Grown tells the inspiring story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families.
Harvesting Friends, Cosechando Amigos
Harvesting Friends, Cosechando Amigos is a story about a garden that grows more than its garden vegetables; it grows friendships! Come meet young Lupe and her new friend Antonio as they meet in an unexpected way and grow their friendship to include their neighbors and friends of all ages.
How Groundhog's Garden Grew
Little Groundhog, in trouble for stealing from his friends' gardens, is taught by Squirrel to grow his very own. From seed-gathering to planting, harvesting, and eating home-grown fruits and vegetables, children join Little Groundhog in learning about the gardening process. At the end, Little Groundhog invites his animal friends to a Thanksgiving harvest feast.
How to Grow a Monster
Last year, Gabe's mom grew way too many zucchinis. This year, Gabe and his sister have a secret plan to take control of the garden. They have to stop the zucchini madness! Tying into the popular Makers Movement, Makers Make It Work is a series of fun easy-to-read stories that focus on problem-solving and hands-on action. This charming story explores the Makers theme of Gardening and includes explanatory sidebars and a gardening-related activity for young makers to try themselves.
How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside
The beautiful simplicity of a garden is depicted through digital woodcut illustrations and engaging nonfiction text presented as a series of sweet questions and gentle replies. Less of a traditional how-to and more of a how-to-appreciate, this soothingly sparse text paints an inviting and accessible picture of what a garden offers. And with an all-child cast, the absence of an adult presence empowers readers to view the garden and its creatures through their own eyes, driven by curiosity and wonder.
In the Garden with Dr. Carver
Sally is a young girl living in rural Alabama in the early 1900s, a time when people were struggling to grow food in soil that had been depleted by years of cotton production. One day, Dr. George Washington Carver shows up to help. He teaches them how to restore the soil nutrients. He even prepares a delicious lunch made of plants, including "chicken" made from peanuts. Susan Grigsby's warm story shines new light on an African American scientist who was ahead of his time.
In the Garden: Who's Been Here
Christina and Jeremy have been sent to the garden to gather vegetables for dinner. But they quickly realize that they are not the first visitors to the garden today. There's a slimy trail on a leaf in the cucumber patch, and some corn kernels have been pecked off the cob. Not only that, someone has been snacking on the lettuce leaves! Christina and Jeremy follow the clues to discover which birds, animals, and insects have been in their garden. Keep your eyes open and join Christina and Jeremy on a scientific journey in their own backyard!
Inside the Compost Bin
From creation of the "compost cake" to curing, and finally, using the compost, budding composters will discover what it takes to have a successful bin—as well as the plethora of benefits a compost bin can have to the surrounding environment. Master composter, Melody Sumaoang Plan, shows readers the physical, biological, and chemical processes involved and rich illustrations take them deep inside the murky bin.
It's Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden
Want to grow what you eat and eat what your grow? Visit this lively, flourishing school-and-community garden and be inspired to cultivate your own. Part celebration, part simple how-to, this close-up look at a vibrant garden and its enthusiastic gardeners is blooming with photos that will have readers ready to roll up their sleeves and dig in.
Jack's Garden
Come to the garden that Jack planted. You will see seeds and seedlings, buds and leaves. You will meet birds and bugs and butterflies. And best of all, you will watch the garden bloom! And maybe you will plant a garden yourself!
Jayden's Impossible Garden
Amidst all the buildings, people, and traffic in his neighborhood, Jayden sees nature everywhere: the squirrels scrounging, the cardinals calling, and the dandelions growing. But Mama doesn't believe there's nature in the city. So Jayden sets out to help Mama see what he sees. With the help of his friend Mr. Curtis, Jayden plants the seeds of a community garden and brings together his neighbors—and Mama—to show them the magic of nature in the middle of the city.
Jo MacDonald Had a Garden
Old MacDonald had a...garden? Yes! Sing along with young Jo MacDonald as she grows healthy food for people and wild creatures. E-I-E-I-O! Find out how butterflies, bumblebees, and birds help a garden to thrive – and how you can help them too. And keep an eye on one mysterious plant. What will it become? Youngsters learn about garden ecosystems and stewardship through this playful adaptation of Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
Josias, Hold the Book
Every morning Josias, a Haitian boy, is hard at work in the family's garden under the hot Haitian sun. His friend Chrislove asks, "When will you join us and hold the book?" With his garden failing, Josias has no time to learn how to read and write. There may not be enough food for his family. Soon, Josias realizes a book might hold the solution to his problem.
Jump Into Science: Dirt
A star-nosed mole shows off all the different kinds of dirt in his garden, helps us to understand how dirt is formed and what's in it, and points out many of the incredible creatures who live in the dirt. Young readers will learn fascinating scientific information about the different soil layers, or horizons, and find out how the soil that plants grow in differs from the soil that building foundations sit in.
Katie's Cabbage
Katie's Cabbage is the inspirational true story of how Katie Stagliano, a third grader from Summerville, South Carolina, grew a forty-pound cabbage in her backyard and donated it to help feed 275 people at a local soup kitchen. In her own words, Katie shares the story of the little cabbage seedling and the big ideas of generosity and service that motivated her to turn this experience into Katie's Krops, a national youth movement aimed at ending hunger one vegetable garden at a time. Katie's Cabbage reminds us of how small things can grow and thrive when nurtured with tender loving and care and how one person, with the support of family, friends and community, can help make a powerful difference in the lives of so many.
Kids' Container Gardening
Gardening can be done inside or outside, all year long, if you use a container. You don't have to just use pots, either. You can garden in bowls, drinking glasses, aquariums--even an old hat! Grow a hanging basket of veggies. Make 'people' out of pots. Create your own water garden--with fish, even. Many are great gifts to give your family on holidays and birthdays.
Las calabacitas de Zora (Spanish Edition)
The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing...and growing...and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, saute, or barbecue. Fortunately, the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan—a garden swap!
Las espinacas de Sylvia (Spanish Edition)
A picky eater discovers the joy of growing food and the pleasure of tasting something new. Sylvia Spivens always says no to spinach. But one day Sylvia's teacher giver her a packet of spinach seeds to plant for the school garden. Overcoming her initial reluctance and giving the seeds a little love and patience, Sylvia discovers the joy of growing food and the pleasure of tasting something new.
Lily's Garden
Lilys grandparents move all the way across the country, but stay in touch with Lily by sending her plants and produce from their new home and through her garden. Each spread deals with a new month and garden challenge for Lily. Her grandparents advice helps her cope with the realistic challenges presented by managing a successful garden. This book is also a good exploration of seasonal changes.
Mara Plants a Seed
With lyrical language and blooming illustrations, Mara Plants a Seed demonstrates the transformative power of simple actions. By cleaning up an empty lot and planting fifty sunflower seeds, Mara begins to create a flourishing, wild garden—but she doesn't do it alone. Little does Mara know, flying insects, digging worms, hungry birds, noisy neighbors, and other secret gardeners are working to help transform the lot into something even more beautiful than she imagined. Rain storms wash away seeds, but rabbits leave some behind. Some helpers nibble up weeds, and others fertilize the soil. Each time Mara visits the garden, she's expecting to see her sunflowers growing. But as the flowers blossom, she uncovers the exciting secrets waiting for her!
Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever
After sketching and plotting and planting, Maxine and Leo know they've made The Greatest Garden Ever! But they're not the only ones who think so. Soon, all sorts of animals make their way in, munching on carrots and knocking over pots. When Leo and Maxine can't agree on a way to deter these unwelcome critters, it looks like there's more on the line than saving their garden—they just might need to save their friendship too.
Memory Garden
A lively afternoon together in Nana's garden is full of laughter, discovery, and connection. In lyrical text that blends past and present, Memory Garden takes us to the places we leave behind but never forget.
Miguel's Community Garden
Miguel is throwing a party at his community garden for all of his friends, and he needs help searching for sunflowers to complete the celebration. What do we know about sunflowers? They're tall with petals and leaves—and, hold on, is that a sunflower? No, that's an artichoke. Where, oh, where could those sunflowers be? Can you help Miguel find them in time for his party?
Mrs. Spitzer's Garden
Mrs. Spitzer is a wise teacher who knows many things. She knows about gardens. She knows about children. She knows how similar they are, and both will flourish if tended lovingly.
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
Tippy, tippy, tippy, Pat! That's the sound three hungry bunnies make when the sun goes down and the moon comes up and Mr. McGreely's garden smells yum, yum, yummy. While he's dreaming of his mouth-watering carrots, the bunnies are diving over fences and swimming trenches to get the veggies first! Hammer, hammer, hammer, Saw! That's the sound Mr. McGreely makes when the sun comes up and the moon goes down and he sees what those twitch-whiskers have done....Nibbled leaves! Empty stalks! Mr. McGreely will build something bigger and better, sure to keep even pesky puff-tails away.
My School Yard Garden
This colorful book takes students on a ramble through a school yard garden—past the seeding beds, along the compost bin, and over to the bird house and bird bath. Along the way, children learn what insects, animals, and plants need to thrive and discover the fun of observing and recording it all. My Schoolyard Garden proves you can learn a lot from a garden, no matter where it grows.
Ode to an Onion
A poetic, beautifully illustrated picture book inspired by Ode to the Onion by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973). Pablo has a lunch date with his friend Matilde, who shows the moody poet her garden. Where Pablo sees conflict and sadness, Matilde sees love and hope. The story is a simple ode to a vegetable that is humble and luminous, dark and light, gloomy and glad, full of grief and full of joy—just like life.
Oliver's Vegetables
On a visit to his grandparents' house, Oliver wants to eat only French fries. Grandpa tells him that he may look in the garden for potatoes, but that he must eat what he finds, whatever it may be. On the first evening, Oliver pulls up carrots and discovers that he likes them. On successive days he discovers spinach, rhubarb, cabbage, beets, and peas. A fun book about eating from the garden.
Our Food Grows
With vibrant illustrations and simple explanations, Our Food Grows shows how fruits, vegetables, and grains make their way from the farm to our plates. Perfect for curious kids and budding gardeners, this engaging introduction to where our food comes from reveals the magic of growing your own garden. An
Educator's Guide for preK-1st grade is available.
Our School Garden!
New city. New school. Michael is feeling all alone—until he discovers the school garden! There's so many ways to learn, and so much to do. Taste a leaf? Mmm, nice and tangy hot. Dig for bugs? "Roly-poly!" he yells. But the garden is much more than activities outdoors: making school garden stone soup, writing Found Poems and solving garden riddles, getting involved in community projects such as Harvest Day, food bank donations, and spring plant sales. Each season creates a new way to learn, explore, and make new friends.
Plants Feed Me
Plants Feed Me is an early elementary, non-fiction picture book about the plant foods we eat. This book describes which parts of plants are edible in simple accessible language using botanically realistic illustrations. Basic botanical science concepts of seed, sprout, flower, fruit, and plant structure are introduced with words and pictures.
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
Pumpkin Circle provides a bug's eye view and a bird's high view of seeds sprouting, flowers blooming, bees buzzing, pumpkins growing and, finally, going back to earth. Told in verse and through dramatic photography as an orange gloved-gardener plants, tends, and harvests a backyard pumpkin patch.
Rah, Rah, Radishes!: A Vegetable Chant
Know any kids that don't like veggies? Here's a book that's sure to change their hungry minds. Rah, Rah, Radishes! celebrates fresh vegetables, nature's bright colors, and the joy of healthy eating.
Rooftop Garden
Set to a foot-tappin' original tune, this rhythmic, rhyming story shows a group of city friends work diligently together to grow herbs and vegetables in a rooftop garden, concluding with a summer harvest and feast that celebrates the gardeners' commitment.
Sadie's Seed Adventures: Learning About Seeds
Sadie and Gardener Marv set out to clear weeds from a garden plot. While working, they go on a magical adventure to learn all about seeds. From hitching a ride with a cocklebur to flying through the sky with a milkweed seed, join Sadie as she figures out how seeds disperse.
Seeds Go, Seeds Grow!
Does a towering sunflower fit inside a tiny seed? Where do seeds come from? What makes them grow? Simple text and close-up photographs make this book a great way to introduce young students to the amazing science of seeds.
Something, Someday
Sometimes the world feels broken. And problems seem too big to fix. But somehow, we all have the power to make a difference. With a little faith, and maybe the help of a friend, together we can find beauty and create change. Follow the story of a young child who builds a community effort to transform an empty lot filled with trash into a beautiful urban garden. View a
video of presidential inaugural poet and author of
Something, Someday read the book aloud.
Sophie's Squash
On a trip to the farmers' market with her parents, Sophie chooses a squash, but instead of letting her mom cook it, she names it Bernice. From then on, Sophie brings Bernice everywhere, despite her parents' gentle warnings that Bernice will begin to rot. As winter nears, Sophie does start to notice changes.... What's a girl to do when the squash she loves is in trouble?
Spring is for Strawberries
When a farm family brings their spring crops to a city farmers market, the farmer's daughter befriends the daughter of a neighborhood family doing their weekly shopping. Over the course of a year, the girls explore the bounty of each season. Sweet spring strawberries and crisp, fresh greens make way for corn on the cob, peppers, and a rainbow of tomatoes. Fall brings pumpkin patches and the crunch of apples. The friends part at the final winter market, already looking forward to the sweet red strawberries that will unite them again next spring.
Sylvia's Spinach
A picky eater discovers the joy of growing food and the pleasure of tasting something new. Sylvia Spivens always says no to spinach. But one day Sylvia's teacher gives her a packet of spinach seeds to plant for the school garden. Overcoming her initial reluctance and giving the seeds a little love and patience, Sylvia discovers the joy of growing food and the pleasure of tasting something new.
The Carrot Seed
When a little boy plants a carrot seed, everyone tells him it won't grow. But when you are very young, there are some things that you just know, and the little boy knows that one day a carrot will come up. So he waters his seed and pulls the weeds and he waits... This beautiful simple classic teaches the patience and technique of planting a seed and helping it grow. This story was first published in 1945 and never out of print.
The Curious Garden
While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. As time passes, the garden spreads throughout the dark, gray city, transforming it into a lush, green world.
The Empty Pot
When Ping admits that he is the only child in China unable to grow a flower from the seeds distributed by the Emperor, he is rewarded for his honesty. This simple story with its clear moral is illustrated with beautiful paintings. The story shows how Ping carefully plants his seed in a flowerpot with rich soil and waters it daily, but to his surprise it doesn't grow. The emperor later reveals that the seeds he'd provided had been cooked and could not grow. This book works well as an engagement approach to lessons on seeds for younger students.
The Extraordinary Gardener
Joe is a boy just like any other, but with a bigger imagination. Joe lives in an ordinary apartment building in a rather ordinary city. His world is rather gray. But he spends his time imagining a wonderful, colorful world filled with exotic plants and unusual animals. One day, Joe decides to plant a seed on his balcony. He waits and waits, but nothing happens! Joe gives up and returns to his daily life, but when he least expects it, he sees that the seed has taken root and turned into the most beautiful tree.
The Soil in Jackie's Garden
Jackie and her garden friends embrace the joys of planting a garden, nurturing and harvesting their own food, and recycling scraps to compost, ensuring that the magical cycle of growth and sustainability continues anew. Science facts about soil, plants, pollinators, decomposers, and more are included on every spread.
The Story of Seeds
This nonfiction chapter book follows seeds from Mendel's garden to our plate. Discover how something as small as a seed can have a world-wide impact. From Iraq to India to an impenetrable seed vault in a Norwegian mountainside, this book speaks to the current ways we think about our food and how it is grown. Readers will discover just how important seeds are to the functioning of our global economy--and how much power we as a world-wide community have to keep seeds around, because once a seed disappears, it's gone forever. With both text and color photos, this book touches on subjects such as seed genetics, the development of new seed varieties, heirloom seeds, and GMO seeds. It also introduces readers to seed scientists such as Gregor Mendel, Luther Burbank, and Nikolai Vavilov.
The Summer My Father Was Ten
That was the summer the boy lost a baseball under a tomato plant in Mr. Bellavista's garden. And someone tossed a tomato back instead of a baseball. A lively battle took place, which seemes like great fun at the time, but in the end Mr. Bellavista's garden had been destroyed. In a touching story of one boy's efforts to make amends, we see the rebuilding of a garden and the forming of a relationship across generations.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Follow the tale of Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor's garden. This book was named the second best-selling children's book of all time by Publishers Weekly.
The Ugly Vegetables
A Chinese-American girl wishes for a garden of bright flowers instead of one full of bumpy, ugly vegetables. The neighbors' gardens look so much prettier and so much more inviting to the young gardener than the garden of "black-purple-green vines, fuzzy wrinkled leaves, prickly stems, and a few little yellow flowers" that she and her mother grow. Nevertheless, mother assures her that "these are better than flowers." Come harvest time, everyone agrees as those ugly Chinese vegetables become the tastiest, most aromatic soup they have ever known. As the neighborhood comes together to share flowers and ugly vegetable soup, the young gardener learns that regardless of appearances, everything has its own beauty and purpose.
The Vegetable Alphabet Book
A wonderful blend of facts and humor make learning about vegetable gardening fun and easy for children. The wonderful, accurate illustrations guide children through a variety of vegetables and terms from A to Z relating to vegetable gardening.
This Year's Garden
Follow the seasons of the year as reflected in the growth, life, and harvest of the garden of a large rural family.
This is the Sunflower
First there is a sunflower. Seasons pass...and soon there is a patch of sunflowers. Budding young gardeners will discover that what makes this happen is not magic—but is most definitely magical.
Tops & Bottoms
The story of a lazy bear and a conniving hare as they learn about plants that have food on the "top" and plants that have food on the "bottom." This elementary level book is an entertaining story to teach children about the parts of plants that some of their food comes from.
Two Old Potatoes and Me
One day at her dad's house, a young girl finds two old potatoes in the cupboard. "Gross." But before she can throw them away, her dad suggests they try to grow new potatoes from the old ones, which have sprouted eyes. Told from May to September, the potato-growing season, the story includes all the basic steps for growing potatoes while subtly dealing with the parents' recent divorce. Just like the new potatoes that emerge from ugly old potatoes, this dad and daughter move on and make a new life together in the face of unavoidable and unpleasant change.
Uncle John's City Garden
Visiting the city from her home in the suburbs, an African American girl sees how a few packets of seeds, some helping hands, and hard work transform an empty lot in a housing project into a magical place where vegetables grow and family gathers. It's the magic of nature in the heart of the city! Bernette Ford's autobiographical story is a loving glimpse at a girl, her siblings, and her uncle, and their shared passion for farming. L'il Sissy's fascination with measurement, comparison, and estimation introduces children to STEM concepts. And the progress of Uncle John's garden introduces readers to the life cycle of plants.
Under Your Feet: Soil, Sand and Everything Underground
Under Your Feet delves beneath the Earth's surface and explores the diverse wonders hidden there. Encounter creatures of the deep and marvel at the mind-boggling size of the humongous fungus—the biggest organism in the world. Learn how one handful of ordinary soil contains more organisms than there are people on Earth, and carry out experiments using dirt from your own back garden.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
Up in the garden, the world is full of green—leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt there is a busy world of earthworms digging, snakes hunting, skunks burrowing, and all the other animals that make a garden their home. Discover the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves...and down in the dirt.
Up, Down, and Around
From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants burrowing underground, everything in this vibrant picture book pulses with life—in all directions! Sprightly illustrations set the mood for a rhythmic text that follows nature's course to a feast of backyard bounty.
Vegetable Garden
In this colorful picture book even very young students can follow along with a family as they plant, tend, and harvest a vegetable garden. The sun shines brightly, summer rain falls, and vegetables grow and ripen. For Pre-K through 1st grade this book makes a nice introduction to gardening and related activities or lessons.
We Are the Gardeners
The Gaines family (from HGTV's Fixer Upper) chronicles the adventures of starting their own family garden. From their failed endeavors, obstacles to overcome (bunnies that eat everything), and all of the knowledge they gain along the way, the Gaines family shares how they learned to grow a happy, successful garden.
Weslandia
Wesley suffers rejection from classmates until he puts his school lessons to use and founds his own civilization around a staple crop that blows in on the wind. He turns over a plot of earth, and plants begin to grow. They soon tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he finds that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. Wesley's innovations make a perfect tie-in for teaching about goods and services in the community and how agriculture creates jobs and influences development. His whimsical garden is also sure to pique students curiosity about growing plants, making this a nice introduction to any plant-related lesson.
What's in the Garden?
Good food doesn't begin on a store shelf with a box. It comes from a garden bursting with life, color, smells, sunshine, moisture, birds, and bees! Healthy food becomes much more interesting when children know where it comes from. So what's in a garden? Children will find a variety of fruits and vegetables and a tasty, kid-friendly recipe for each one to start a lifetime of good eating. A "Food for Thought" section explains facts about each fruit and vegetable, and a "How Does Your Garden Grow?" section explains facts about gardening and the parts of plants.
Worm Makes a Sandwich
Meet worm. He might be little. He might have no hands. But worm would love to make a sandwich, just for you! To get started he'll need just one thing: garbage! Delicious, delectable garbage like apple cores and mushy grapes, broccoli bottoms and carrot tops, sad celery, and drippy cucumbers. Worm and his friends eat the garbage. And then they do what everyone does after they eat garbage. They poop! The poop goes in the compost and the compost goes in your garden, which is where the vegetables for your sandwich come from! Simple, right? Worm thought you'd agree. He might just need a bit of assistance along the way... This hilarious, engaging picture book is the perfect introduction to the process of composting from start to finish, told from the perspective of one little worm who is very eager to help.
Zora's Zucchini
The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing...and growing...and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, saute, or barbecue. Fortunately, the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan—a garden swap!
Booklet/Reader
Jr. Sprout – Gardening
From seed to plate, this booklet provides an activity to examine the natural resources needed to grow vegetables and flowers, their life cycle, along with plant parts and their functions. The booklet covers science, math, and English standards in the form of engaging questions, counting and measurement activities, and drawings.
Jr. Sprout – Healthy Eating
This creative activity booklet engages students to create their own food faces while using healthy fruits and vegetables grown in a vegetable garden. It also discusses challenges that people encounter while selecting "bad foods" that contain oils, sugars, and fats versus "good foods."
Kit
Aeroponic Garden Kit
Aeroponics' is a plant cultivation technique where plant roots are suspended in the air and misted with a nutrient and water solution. The
Aeroponic Garden Kit provides everything except a 5-gallon bucket for students to create their own aeroponic garden.
Order this kit online from agclassroomstore.com.
Garden Planner
This handy bulletin board planner will help you keep your garden on track all year long. The complete kit contains one full-size bulletin board, 17 crop strips to attach to the bulletin board, 17 corresponding crop cards for planning and classroom activities, and full instructions about how to use the bulletin board.
Order this kit online from agclassroomstore.com.
Gardening in a Box
This kit is designed to support various forms of homeschool, virtual learning, and online classes by providing ready-to-use supplies to facilitate hands-on learning and discovery. The kit contains materials for one student to complete a variety of activities found in the following lessons:
Soil Texture and Water Percolation (Activity 1);
Desktop Greenhouses (Activity 1);
Seeds, Miraculous Seeds (Activities 1 & 3);
Flower Power (Activity 2);
Plant Tops and Bottoms (Activity 2).
Order this kit online from agclassroomstore.com.
Soil Painting
This kit includes five Utah soils that have been finely ground and sifted for use as paint pigments. Each soil is labeled with the name of the Utah county from which it was collected, the soil type and order, and the color of the soil classified by hue, value, and chroma. Use this kit with the
Color in the Garden lesson plan, which provides instructions for painting with soil-based pigments.
Order this kit online from agclassroomstore.com.
Test Tube Hydroponics Kit
Investigate the importance of nutrients for plant growth and discover how plants grow without soil. Use this kit to grow and observe plants in a test tube hydroponic system. Kit includes rock wool, seed-starter trays, soybean seeds, plant tags, test tubes, and pipettes for 36 students. The
Test Tube Hydroponics Kit complements the lesson
Test Tube Hydroponics.
Order this kit online from agclassroomstore.com.
Three Sisters Seed Packet
Native Americans relied heavily on corn, squash, and beans, the "three sisters," for their survival. This packet contains organic, heirloom seeds ready to plant in the garden to demonstrate early Native American farming techniques.
Order these seeds online from agclassroomstore.com.
Movie/Video
Preserving Heirloom Crops with Wozupi Farms
See and hear how groups such as the Wozupi Tribal Garden are working to preserve indigenous and heirloom crops. The crop varieties are preserved for taste, texture, and cultural relevance. These heirloom plants come from seeds that have been passed down for generations in a particular region or area. They are hand-selected by gardeners for a special trait.
Teacher Reference
Backyard Composting
This book provides an easy, step-by-step guide to successful composting. Learn how easy it is to start composting, maintain an active, healthy compost, and use the compost you produce.
Botany on Your Plate: Investigating the Plants We Eat
This investigative science curriculum introduces the world of plants to elementary school students through foods we eat. Watch children's understanding of our world grow as they partake in hands-on activities that explore edible roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds through observation, dissection, journaling, discussion of findings, and, of course, tasting! This book can be used in educators' instruction to support standards in nutrition, math, language arts, and social studies. Every lesson includes plant snacks that spark curiosity, interesting questions, and social dialogue to fuel the learning process.
Build Your Own GrowLite
This grow light is easy and affordable to build, allowing teachers to garden in their classroom year round or start plants early for outdoor transplanting. The detailed instructions in this PDF will take you step by step through the process of building this light and includes guidelines for using it in your classroom.
Dig In: Hands-On Soil Investigations
Give students the dirt on soil with a practical book that brings new meaning to the term "hands-on." Using these 12 activities and two original stories as guides, kids will soon be up to their elbows in the study of soil formation, habitats and land use, animals that depend on soil, plants that grow in soil, soil science, and soil conservation. Each teacher-tested lesson plan offers helpful background, assessment methods, and suggestions for further exploration.
Edible Gardening: Growing Your Own Vegetables, Fruits, and More
This gardening guide provides fun and creative ideas for growing vegetables, fruits, and more. It lists of everything you need and easy, step-by-step instructions accompany each project. Grow a pepper plant in an upside-down planter or plant a spaghetti garden. Teachers will be inspired to create edible class gardens with their students.
Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques
The definitive guide to the best gardening techniques from pruning and propagation and planting to harvesting by the American Horticultural Society. This step-by-step guide contains a vast amount of expert information clearly demonstrating the tried-and-tested techniques honed by the world's leading garden authority. The book covers every aspect of gardening from pruning to sowing, watering to feeding, and propagating to planting. Covering all plants including trees, flowers, shrubs, climbers, lawns, vegetables, fruit and herb, it shows how to create water features and patios, and add lighting. It also includes organic techniques, recycling, and how to treat pests and diseases.
Farm to Table & Beyond
This curriculum unit is designed to teach science through study of the food system. It investigates two questions—what is the system that gets food from farm to table, and how does this system affect the environment? Students will learn about our complex and highly technological global food system and how the parts of this system interact and influence each other. Lesson plans include a number of hands-on investigations, helpful background information, practical teaching tips, and tools for assessment.
Greening School Grounds: Creating Habitats for Learning
Drawing on the expertise of over 100 North American educators, this book represents some of the finest thinking about how best to design and to maximize the learning in revitalized schoolyards. In this anthology from Green Teacher magazine, readers will find step-by-step instructions for numerous projects, from tree nurseries to school composting along with ideas for enhancing learning by addressing the diverse needs of students. Among more than a dozen schoolyard options presented, the guide includes detailed articles on rooftop gardens, multicultural gardens, far-north gardens, desert gardens, butterfly gardens, ponds and prairie restorations. For project planners, there are practical tips on minimizing vandalism, maximizing participation and raising funds. And for teachers, there are dozens of outdoor classroom activities and curriculum links.
GrowLab: A Complete Guide to Gardening in the Classroom
This manual was developed by the National Gardening Association to lead teachers through the basics of successful indoor gardening. Step-by-step instructions will guide you through setting up an indoor garden, planning and planting, choosing vegetables, herbs, and flowers to grow indoors, maintaining a healthy growing environment, tackling pests and other problems, and conducting special gardening projects.
GrowLab: Classroom Activities for Indoor Gardens and Grow Lights
This curriculum uses fun, illustrated activities to explore life cycles, examine plant diversity, and investigate the interdependence between plants and humans. Whether you're growing plants in a greenhouse, under grow lights or on a windowsill, this comprehensive book provides you with all the information you need to use plants as a teaching tool in your classroom to engage young minds. Grades K-8. Meets National Science Standards.
Health and Nutrition from the Garden
This guide from the Junior Master Gardener series is packed with basic gardening information that includes growing techniques, food safety, healthy eating tips, and nutritious snack food preparation. This book is a great tool for educators who use garden programs to teach students about health, nutrition, food safety, and wise decision-making skills. Grades 3-5.
In The Three Sisters Garden
In this Common Roots Guidebook, Sister Corn, Sister Squash, and Sister Bean introduce children to gardening in two distinct year-long adventures that explore the ancient wisdoms of the land. Each is a unique journey through the four seasons, rich with earth-friendly gardening methods, history, hands-on activities, stories, and provocative ideas. The lessons incorporate social studies, literature, and science. Plants can be grown in the garden or classroom to supplement this unit. An easy resource to utilize when teaching early American traditions.
Junior Master Gardener Handbook
The Junior Master Gardener (JMG) Program is an innovative youth gardening project. This JMG Handbook is designed for children in grades 3-5. Each of the eight exciting chapters contains fun activities and interesting facts to help children experience the joy of making things grow. At the end of each chapter are suggested Leadership/Community Service Projects. These projects help Junior Master Gardeners share with their family, friends and community all that they have learned.
Junior Master Gardener Literature in the Garden
The Junior Master Gardener Literature in the Garden curriculum engages children through garden- and ecology-themed children's books. (Books include Plantzilla; Miss Rumphius; Brother Eagle, Sister Sky; The Gardener; Tops & Bottoms; and Weslandia.) This curriculum contains dozens of hands-on activities for youth in grades 3-5. Learning is inspired through outdoor activities, creative expression and open exploration.
Junior Master Gardener Teacher & Leader Guide
Ever suck a bug to study insects or make mud pies to evaluate soil texture? The 2016 revised JMG Teacher & Leader Guide provides elementary teachers with the tools to teach the world of gardening with eight chapters of novel, hands-on and proven lessons. The curriculum also helps develops life skills, includes career exploration and provides opportunities for students to culminate the JMG experience with service-learning projects. As students complete areas of study, they can earn different recognition certifications including designation as Certified Junior Master Gardeners.
Learn, Grow, Eat, and Go!
Created by teachers, this multifaceted garden, nutrition, and physical activities curriculum is evidence-based and academically rich. Through a linear set of hands-on, proven lessons, your students will better understand plants and how plants provide for people’s needs. The 10-week (2 lessons/week) unit of study will step your class through process of establishing a thriving garden that is easy to create and maintain.
Math in the Garden
This engaging curriculum uses a mathematical lens to take children on an education-filled exploration of the garden. Dozens of hands-on activities hone math skills and promote inquiry, language arts, and nutrition. All were developed to support mathematics and science standards and were extensively trial-tested by educators and youth leaders nationwide.
Meadowscaping Makes it Better Activity Guide
With a bit of knowledge and creative thinking, meadowscaping allows us to transform lawns, playgrounds, empty lots, unused paved spaces, and patios into havens for plants and animals. This guide provides information and inspiration for creating meadow plantings anywhere—even in containers—and features six fun, hands-on projects to delight and inform your young gardeners.
Meadowscaping with Kids
With a bit of knowledge and creative thinking, meadowscaping allows us to transform lawns, playgrounds, empty lots, unused paved spaces, and patios into havens for plants and animals. This guide for caregivers and educators lifts up the benefits of meadows, meadowscaping, and ways to incorporate kids in meadowscaping. The guide also includes key tips for the success of your meadowscape.
Native American Gardening
This book provides stories, projects, and recipes that can easily be adapted for use in the classroom. Native American Gardening brings the magical world of stories together with the nurturing experience of gardening. Native stories lay the groundwork for understanding, while hands-on activities show readers how to continue the work of generations of Native farmers.
Programming Sun and Rain
On the cramped urban campus of Boston Latin School, students grow an acre’s worth of vegetables in an old shipping container that’s been transformed into a computer-controlled hydroponic farm. Using a wall-mounted keyboard or a mobile app, the student farmers can monitor their crops, tweak the climate, make it rain and schedule sunrise. Use this article to illustrate an example of hydroponics, the use of technology in agriculture, and/or urban farming.
School Gardens: A Guide for Gardening and Plant Science
This free guide can serve as a tool for teachers who are implementing a school garden program. There are 31 activities that can support and supplement hands-on experience in the school garden. Each activity is aligned to education standards. The guide was compiled for Minnesota, but can be adapted to other areas.
Steps to a Bountiful Kids' Garden
This how-to guide by the National Gardening Association covers all you need to know to launch a school or kids' gardening program, from rallying support and site development to making curriculum connections. A must-have resource!
The Growing Classroom
This teacher's manual provides a road map to successful school gardening and curriculum integration, including hands-on strategies for planning a garden laboratory, facilitating investigative lessons on ecology and nutrition, and involving the community in learning activities.
Website
Indoor Gardening Curriculum
A school garden is a powerful education tool to teach about many subjects including science, math, language arts, engineering, technology, and even stewardship. With any type of garden, indoors or outdoors, students have an opportunity to engage in agricultural practices on a small scale, learning about the web of interactions among the living and nonliving players that sustain life. The Indoor Gardening Curriculum is a compilation of lessons specifically focused on building and running simple hydroponic and aquaponic systems in the classroom, as well as growing in soil on vertical shelving. Each lesson has been designed to give teachers practical low-cost options to growing in their classrooms.
Kid's Gardening Website
The Kid's Gardening website is full of ideas for implementing a school garden. You will find instruction for container gardening, class activities, growing houseplants, etc.
SOW Seeds of Wonder
In Project S.O.W., youth work together to investigate how to grow food, explore their relationship with the land and food system, and practice leadership in their communities. Youth discover the power of food gardening to provide their families and communities with fresh and affordable food, and experience firsthand the resilience, confidence, and connection that this time-honored practice brings. Resources can be paired with school gardening curriculum for ages 13-19.
School Garden Center
This web page offers practical information about gardening with children and provides engaging lesson plans and activities that integrate gardening themes into core curriculum. School gardens provide an opportunity to build understanding about the natural world through active investigation and inquiry. Gardens inspire students to use their senses, exercise their imagination, build communication skills, think critically, problem solve, and explore their questions, while providing a meaningful context for multidisciplinary exploration.
