Gardening With Children

It's March! I don't know about you, but once March arrives, I start thinking about planting my garden. Gardening with children can be both an adventure and a challenge! Helping children grow a garden is such a great way to ensure that they understand the circle of life, and also helps them reconnect with nature. I often worry about the fact that many children today don't get enough chances to dig in the dirt and delight in watching a garden grow. Not only do children enjoy tending a garden, but we also know that they are more likely to eat those vegetables that they have put so much time and effort into!

Here is a list of some good books to read to get everyone excited about the planting to come! (These are from the Michigan Team Nutrition Preschool Booklist)

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
The Enormous Carrot by Vladimir Vagin
The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis
From the Garden: A Counting Book About Growing Food by Michael Dahl
A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds by Jean Richards
The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck
Grandpa's Garden Lunch by Judith Caseley
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
I'm a Seed by Jean Marzollo
Jody's Beans by Malachy Doyle
Oliver's Vegetables by Vivian French
One Watermelon Seed by Celia Barker Lottridge
Our Community Garden by Barbara Pollack
The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall
Vegetables in the Garden by Pascale de Bourgoing and Gallimard Jeunesse
We Can Eat the Plants by Rozanne Lanczak Williams

Enjoy!