Our Generous Garden

Fellow Master Gardener Anne Nagro (Illinois chapter) has recently published a non-fiction children’s book, Our Generous Garden. The book is based on Anne’s successful seed-to-table elementary school garden project that last year donated 900 pounds of produce to a local food bank. The easy-to-read text written from a child’s perspective follows students as they find the perfect garden spot, design their garden, grow seeds in the classroom and plant the seedlings outdoors. A few recipes are included as well. It is available here from Amazon.com or from Anne’s website, GardenABCs.com. While perusing GardenABCs, be sure to check out the Resources page, as well as the Library page. Great stuff for both garden and classroom.

10 Gardening Books Guaranteed to Interest your Kids

10 Gardening Books Guaranteed to Interest your Kids

It’s proven to be therapeutic and a good form of mild exercise, it showcases the results of your hard work in the form of beautiful flowers and nutritious vegetables, and it beautifies your house in the most natural way – gardening is not just a hobby but an art that requires concentration and patience. It’s fun for kids and a great way to spend time outdoors this summer. So if you’re planning on taking your first gardening steps soon, here are a few books that will guide you along the way to a colorful and beautiful garden:

• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert: This book introduces children to the rudiments of growing colorful flowers of various varieties.
• The Gardening Book by Jane Bull: A book that offers gardening projects for children who are able to garden without adult supervision.
• From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons: This book teaches kids about the various stages of development a plant goes through and also includes directions and instructions to grow beans.
• A Handful of Dirt by Raymond Bial: A book that educates kids on the role that plain old dirt plays in the development of plants.
• Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy: This book combines instructions for theme gardens and the best plants for children to grow and look after.
• Kids Gardening: A Kid’s Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt/With Seeds, Shovel by Kevin Raftery and Kim Gilbert Raftery: The title of this book is self-explanatory – it shows how kids can have fun with gardening activities.
• The Kids Can Press Jumbo Book of Gardening by Jane Kurisu: This book teaches children to grow organic gardens in small spaces like backyards and balconies.
• New Junior Garden Book by Felder Rushing: This book is for kids who are budding gardeners and includes complete project activities both outdoor and indoor purposes.
• Gardening with Children by Beth Richardson: A book that teaches parents to get their children interested and involved in gardening.
• A Guide to Happy Family Gardening by Tammerie Spires: This book gets the whole family involved in gardening projects that are easy to implement.

By-line:
This guest post is written by Heather Johnson, who frequently writes on the subject of online college degrees. She welcomes your comments and freelance writing inquiries at: heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com