Read and Explore in the Garden
By Kimberly
I am so excited to be here on The Educators Spin on it, and to take part in the Kids in the Garden series. As a lover of all things natural, I felt it would be an honor to share how we incorporate the garden into our living and learning.
One of the most important things to me, is to show children how many wonderful things come from a garden. So before planting, grab a few books and enjoy reading together. Some of our favorites are
Quiet in the Garden by Aliki
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
and
Roots, Shoots, Buckets, & Boots by Sharon Lovejoy
Set up a special invitation to read and play in the garden.
If you have one in your backyard, fabulous; if not no problem. You can set a few plants out, use an area you have that the children can be comfortable. Set out some of their favorite books relating to things you would find in a garden. Lay out a blanket for snacking on, have a basket to collect flowers or veggies in, and some ripe fruits and veggies would be the perfect final touch.
No matter the size, whether it’s a large community garden, or a very small herb garden, make it inviting, share books, a market basket, experiences, and fun with your children to give them the love of reading and exploring in the garden.
If you would like to see other ways we explore Nature check out
Looking for Signs of Spring
The Perfect Winter Nature Table for Toddlers
and
Seeing Nature through a Toddler’s Eyes
Kimberly’s days are full of fun, and learning with her five children. She homeschools her boys, and enjoys tons of toddler activities with her sweet baby girl. Join her at Natural Beach Living, where she writes about homeschooling, tot school, natures treasures, natural simple living, and much more. She would also love it if you joined her Facebook page, Pinterest, Twitter, and G+ community.
Join us and plant a seed with your child on March 31st! Share your kids in the garden pictures anytime and use the hashtag #plantaseed to connect with other like-minded, garden loving families!
Melissa says
March 21, 2014 at 6:47 amLove this Kimberly! I love connecting books to anything & everything to help in the learning process 🙂