Garden Projects

I decided to end out our school year with a unit on plants.  I thought we could make our little garden into an even more educational experience this year by learning more about what’s going on underneath that dirt.  We’ll take the next couple of weeks to learn about seeds, the parts of plants, and what they need to thrive.  Then when it’s warm enough, we’ll put our knowledge to work and plant (hopefully) our best garden yet!  If you are planning on doing a unit on plants, I found a great post over at The Homeschool Classroom.  Melissa posts her lesson plan in detail, giving great ideas on projects and resources.

Over the years I’ve come across many great books on gardening with kids but I wanted to share with you two of them that I love.

{Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots}

This book by gardening guru, Sharon Lovejoy, is a great addition to your library!  Besides the her beautiful illustrations, Sharon gives numerous project ideas, tips, and lists for the rookie or advanced gardener.  Some of her projects include:

• The Pizza Garden
• Buckets, Boxes, & Boots: Container Gardens
• Moon-Garden
• Snacking & Sipping Garden

One of my favorites is her idea for a Pizza Garden.  In the book, she shows how to plant this type of garden in a circular shape and section it off with rocks or pavers so it looks like a sliced pizza.  Each section includes vegetables that you’d find on a pizza, such as:

• Tomatoes
• Eggplant
• Bell Peppers
• Oregano
• Basil
• Onions

She gives tons of great tips for gardening with kids, like all the tools you’ll need and a list of the Top 20 Plants for Kids.  The thing I love most about Sharon Lovejoy is her absolute love for nature.  Her love exudes from the pages of this book and it makes you want to spend more time outside.   I’m totally in love with this book!  If you’re looking for supplements to add to your plant units this Spring or just want a great book, I totally recommend it.

{Gardening with Kids}

This great gardening book written by Catherine Woram & Marlyn Cox is also a terrific addition to any mom’s library.  This book includes over 30 projects you can do with your kids.  Everything from growing cactus planters to playing games with water.  Again, the introduction includes tips on equipment, maintaining a garden, and everything else you need to know.  Gardening with Kids has a lot of information about the plants themselves and how choose the best ones for your climate.  They provide lists of what to grow and what you should avoid.

There are 35 projects in this book to be exact, and we’ve completed many of them.
Here’s an idea of the projects you’ll find when you check out Gardening with Kids:

• Herb Garden
• Butterfly Baskets
• Crystallizing Pansies
• Terrarium in a Jar
• Pressing Flowers
• Nesting Box
• Flower Chains

• Burlap Tote Bag

  Again, I highly recommend both of these fabulous books.  I can say that both of them provide hours of fun for you and your kids…now go get your hands dirty!

Alicia can be found either blogging at La Famille or out in her garden 🙂