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 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org]On Behalf Of MQuattle at aol.com Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 8:12 AM To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org Subject: [Community_garden] need advice on children's gardening books
