[Community_garden] need advice on children's gardening books

[Lexie Stoia]

Hi Mary,
I do an afterschool gardening program and have spent some time developing
curriculum for kids age 5-13.
I recommend the following books:

Bradley, Clare and Cecilia Fitzsimons.  Outdoor Activities for Kids.  Lorenz
Books: New York, NY, 1999.

Kite, L. Patricia.  Gardening Wizardry for Kids.  Barron's: Hauppauge, NY,
1995.

Krasny, Marianne.  Garden Mosaics Program.  Cornell: Ithaca, NY, 2005.
Please visit www.gardenmosaics.org for more information.

Ross, Michael Elsohn.  Wormology.  Carolrhoda Books, Inc: Minneapolis, MN,
1996. The "worm palace" activity has been a hit.

Some activities that have been successful are
(1) Doing an "herbs for kids" activity. Introduce the kids to various herbs
(rosemary, mint, thyme, scented geranium, etc) and have them taste smell
touch them. Give a little background on them...lots of fun facts. "Did you
know you can chew on mint as a natural breath freshener?" "Did you know
oregeno gives pizza that zesty taste?" "Did you know drinking chamomile tea
will make you feel more relaxed?" etc. Show them products they use everyday
that use herbs (mint toothpaste, herbal tea, aloe lotion, etc.) Dry some
mint, and at a later date, make tea bags with muslin bags and brew a pot of
mint tea with the kids. Here in Columbus (OH) we had a horticulturist from
Franklin Park Conservatory come and do an herb demonstration. If you know
anyone from your neighborhood knowledgable about herbs, having them help
with the activity is a great way to connect kids to the community.

(2) Great winter activity: use odd objects as planters and plant some
houseplants with the kids. Use a knife or drill (a job for an adult of
course) to put holes in the objects for drainage. Explain why the drainage
holes are necessary. Discuss light and watering needs. Some great objects
are boots, old potato chip tins (lined with plastic with holes in the
bottom). Any plastic item can be recycled as a planter as long as there are
drainage holes. A week before, send a flyer home with the kids asking them
to bring in old pairs of hard shoes/boots for this activity if they have
them.

A friend has also recommended a book called Sunflower Houses : Inspiration
from the Garden - A Book for Children and Their Grown-Ups (Paperback) by
Sharon Lovejoy but I haven't checked this out yet.

Best of luck,
Lexie Stoia
ACGA



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Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 8:12 AM
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Subject: [Community_garden] need advice on children's gardening books