Gardening Fun with Children

by Dara L. Cain Rowan Public Library

Spring has arrived!!! 
It’s the perfect time to head outside and start planting flowers and growing vegetables.  Did you know that gardening is not just for adults?  Children can plan, create, and maintain their own gardens with a little bit of guidance.  Give them the opportunity to plant seeds in the soil and watch their reaction as the plants mature.  Below are some great children’s books to set the mood and get your children excited about gardening and the outdoors all while spending time together as a family. 

Lois Ehlert has written and illustrated simple and engaging picture books for the preschool age group.  Her book How to Plant a Rainbow is about a mother and child who plant a variety of flowers in the family garden. Ehlert explains to children in a simplistic way how to plant bulbs, seeds, and seedlings as well has how to nurture their growth.  The surprise at the end of the story is a beautiful rainbow garden.  Similarly, in Ehlert’s book Growing Vegetable Soup, a father and child share the joys of planting, watering, and watching seeds grow in their vegetable garden.  At the end of the story, the reward for taking care of the garden is enjoying vegetable soup together. Both titles incorporate brightly colored illustrations and include the names of what is being planted as well as the tools used to tend to the garden.

Children will discover dozens of food chains right in their very own backyard after reading Food Chains and the Food Web in Our backyard:  Secrets of the Garden by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld.  Alice’s family plants a vegetable garden every year and this naturalist reports all she sees about how the plants grow, what insects arrive to eat the plants, and what birds and animals appear to eat the insects in this beautifully illustrated book.  This simple narrative is very engaging and science concepts are introduced in more depth in sidebars by a pair of intelligent and funny chickens. Maybe some kids will be inspired to eat their vegetables after learning about some backyard science in a fun and accessible way.    

Creating a garden on a vacant piece of land in no small task for five eager gardeners in the book A Harvest of Color by Melanie Eclare. The children each select their own vegetable to grow – carrots, radishes, beans, zucchini, or potatoes and document their progress by keeping a garden diary and taking photographs.  The diary and photographs clearly demonstrate the satisfaction and challenges faced by these aspiring gardeners.  There are also some helpful planting hints that the children share for when your kids are ready to get started.  At the end of the summer the children celebrate by having a big cookout and making vegetable soup.  Their recipe is included at the back of the book. 
A Backyard Flower Garden for Kids and A Backyard Vegetable Garden for Kids are two books written by Amie Jane Leavitt that are wonderful for first time gardeners. Children will learn about where they should grow their flower garden, what they should grow, what flowers attract butterflies and birds, planting time, and what to do if they don’t have space for a garden.  There is also a fun craft on how to decorate a garden belt.  If vegetables gardens are more appealing to your children, they’ll learn what vegetables to grow, preparing their plot, sowing seeds, harvest time, and planting in small spaces.  A great hummingbird bath craft is included.  These two books provide simple and well organized step by step instructions and include a helpful glossary. 
It can be difficult to find time to plant and take care of a garden, especially with young children at home.  The book Gardening Projects for Kids:  101 Ways to get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher provides some great ideas on how to involve your children in the gardening process that makes it educational and exciting.  Whether it be playing leapfrog over pumpkins, harvesting a six-plant part burrito, cooking up a compost cake, weaving lavender wands, or pickling pears, this book is sure to have a fun activity your child will enjoy. 
Gardening can be a fun activity!  There are so many benefits to this activity including science exploration, working hard and harvesting the benefits, and most importantly spending time with your family.
Don’t forget, all of the titles are available to borrow at Rowan Public Library.