Moms Inspire Learning: Book to Garden Connections

© iStockphoto/Karen Squires realitybytes

If you're lucky, you have a garden that your children help you out with. We just have a small "potted" garden, but my son has had the privilege of maintaining a classroom garden at school this year. His amazing teacher gave each group of 3 children its own gardening "box" in the ground to maintain. His group planted strawberries, tomatoes, and blackberries. He's really enjoying it. It's a fun, educational way for children to not only learn about science, but cooperation and teamwork as well. It's also a fantastic way to literally "breathe life" into the curriculum.

My sister-in-law also has a beautiful, fenced in garden (the deer will eat everything otherwise). Her children love to help her out with it. Actually, the whole family gets involved! I remember her telling me how my nephews were so excited to plant the apple seeds from the apples they ate one day. They potted them first, but she wasn't sure if they should plant them outside because it would definitely attract deer and other animal life!

You know how I love those "book to self" and "book to world" connections, so today I have a few more books for children between the ages of 3 and 8. Even if you don't have a garden, it's a great topic to talk about at this time of year.

A very simple book of poetry is Busy in the Garden, by George Shannon. The youngest of gardeners will love the watercolor illustrations and the short, joyful poems.

Gardening and its connection to family life is the focus of In Our Backyard Garden, by Eileen Spinelli. Children in the primary grades will really relate to the real life situations and colorful illustrations in this collection of poems.

Last, but certainly not least is The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart. How does one girl cheer people up during the Great Depression? I'll give you a few clues: letters, seeds, flowers, and...I don't want to give too much away!

I love that this book not only brings history to life, but that it shows how one person (no matter how old) can really make a difference. A lot of people could use a little encouragement these days, and this book reminds us that no matter what we may be going through, we need to appreciate the many positive things that happen to us (and around us) every day.

The Gardener might even inspire your child to write letters of her own this summer. What grandparent wouldn't love to receive a letter from a grandchild? A letter can really brighten someone's day, and it's a great way for your child to practice writing skills. Hey, your child might even want to include some gardening related poetry of his own!

You don't have to plant your own garden to know that it's important to eat a "rainbow" of fruits and vegetables. Just like our bodies need nourishment from the food we eat, our minds need to be exposed to a wide variety of reading materials. I like to call it the garden of reading.

There are so many types of literature that it can be overwhelming for parents and children to find the books that will appeal to them the most. Some people get so frustrated that they stop reading altogether. Please try to prevent yourself from falling into that trap! There really are books out there for everyone, just waiting to be discovered. One of the best things you can do as a parent is to help your child (and yourself) to find some really great books.

By the way, did you know that immersing yourself in a book can be a great stress reliever? Read about it here.

You can find some other related book ideas at these previous posts:

Would you like to share any other gardening related books or activities?

Great Resource for Parents!