Garden Theme

Pratt's Educational Resources

Flowers
Rainforest





Children love to get their hands dirty with whatever they put their hands on.  My daughter loves to put her hands in potting soil.  Children are closer to the ground than adults are so their backs won't hurt as much. Gardening can be indoors too.  If you don't have a backyard or if you want to do it inside your home, apartment or classroom, you can do projects in a pots or other things.  I have found some links that will help you and your children grow a garden.  It can be flowers, food, etc.  I have also found online activities for children to play online.

You can find other garden links at Food Theme.  There are lots of coloring pages you can use as you learn more about different fruits or vegetables.

Music
LDS Church Music: Little Seeds Lie Fast Asleep, CS, page 243
KidzSing - The Garden Song (Inch by Inch by David Mallett)
Mrs. Jones - Sing Along: The Garden Song Another song sung to "The Farmer in the Dell".

Books
              
      

Jack and the Beanstalk Books
A Seed that Grows by Pamela Hickman
Inch by Inch The Garden Song by David Mallett - Scholastic (Including sheet music.)
Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward - Scholastic (A song about 10 insects.)

Science & Books

Seed - Plant a seed.  Look at different seeds.  Compare them.

Bean Activity


Jack and the Beanstalk (or other books) Extension Activity
Place a damp paper towel in a sealable plastic bag or bottle.  Place a bean in the bottom of the bag or bottle.  Watch it grow.  Dampen the paper towel when it is almost dry.  Watch it grow.  Draw pictures.

Place the sprouted bean in soil when the roots start to grow (put the roots facing downward) in a cup or something else.  The bean(s) will need to be out of the soil (depending which stage you plant it).  Make holes in the bottom of the cup so excess water can come out.  Lightly water the soil.  Watch it grow, measure, and draw pictures.

You can plant the unsprouted bean in soil.  See stages of beans to see which way to place the bean. (Some beans/seeds don't grow or take extra time so use more than one.) 

Stages of Beans
Bean Germination and Growth
Life Cycle of Bean Plant


Molly and Emmett’s Surprise Garden
by Marilyn Hafner

Stone Soup: An Old Tale (Spanish: Sopa de Piedras) by Marcia Brown
Stone Soup by Ann McGovern

Activities and books at: Food Theme: Soup.
Grow Your Own Soup - New Era

The Carrot Seed or (Spanish: La Semilla de Zanahoria) by Ruth Krauss
Activities and books at: Food Theme: Carrot.

Cooking and Snacks
Eat sunflower, pumpkin or other types of edible seeds.

Use the lesson plan found at How Many Apple Seeds?.

Decorate apple shaped sugar cookies.
Sugar Cookies
Dairy-free Sugar Cookies
Use red food coloring; you can also use green and yellow if you would like.
Have the children put raisins or chocolate chips on top for seeds.

Printables
Funstuf: Hide-and-Seek Maze (a flower bed) and Green's Greens
Garden Roundup You can type this game up for an activity.
Grandma's Herb Garden Word search puzzle.
Help the Mice Match the Seeds @ Bry-Back Manor

My Pages
Insect & Bug Themes: Butterfly Gardens
Easter and Spring Themes

Other Links
Angiosperm Growth and Development
Aggie Horticulture Just for Kids
Ask ERIC

Bry-Back Manor: Garden Fun (It's Spring!)
Flower icons, clipart, spring flowers clipart, The Recycle Game (for Mac's), Frogs, and fun activities.
Carrot, Beet, and Radish
CG Online - Gardening with Kids
Composting for Kids
Davis College of Agriculture, Foresty and Consumer Sciences
Frugal-moms.com: Gardening with Kids: The Family Garden
Garden Crafts @ Danielle's Place
Make Seed Packets and Start your own Seed Company, "Plant a Little Kindness" plant marker, Bold Garden Crow, and Keepsake Stepping Stones.  There are patterns to go with most of these crafts.
Garden for Kids @ Mastergardenproducts.com
Gardening for Kids!
Gardening for Kids
Gardening for Kids: Flowery Name
Gardening for Kids Theme Page
Gardening with Kids @ about.com
GardenWeb
The Great Plant Escape
For teachers (parents) and children.
Case Brief, Facts, Mysteries, and Activities.
HortSource
HortSource: Zucchini Secrets
Is This Poison Ivy?
KD Craft Exchange - Baby-food Jar Gardens
KidsGardening!
Check out hydroponics, plant and insects, and seeds: the promise of life
KinderArt: Seasonal Arts and Crafts: April
KinderArt: Earth Day
KinderGARDEN
Linda's Garden (including gardening with kids)
MarthaStewart.com
Click on "gardening" and then "101" on the bottom or the side. It has -seed starting with kids seed starting worksheet, in good things look at eggshell flower pots.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture: IMP Publicatons Download various fact sheets (insects, weeds, plant disease, rodents, pesticides, ABackyard Activity Book for Kids (in separate pdf files), and "Thicket! (articles, links, etc.).
Missouri Botanical Garden
My First Garden Facts and a teacher's guide.
Plants and Botany Links
Propagation of Plants by Stem Cuttings
Springtime Gardening with Kids @ about.com
This is a site you don't want to skip over.
Teacher Vision: Gardening with Kids
The Edible Schoolyard
Van Dyck's: Gardening With Kids
Van Dyck's: Gardening With Kids - Pressing Flowers
Wisconsin Fast Plants To know a plant, Grow a plant
Where there?
Worlds of Weeds - Fascinating Science - Practical Tips and Tools
Includes gardening.
 
Online Gardening Activities
Garden Playground
Garden Tool Concentration

Online Gardening Activities For Older Children

These links are for older children.
Garden Jigsaw Puzzle
Garden Word Scramble

Gardening & Action Verses @ lds.org
Easter Activities: Eggshell Garden
Exploring: Cucumber Gifts!
Exploring: Water Gardening
Tiny Strawberry Garden
For Little Friends: Let's Plant a Garden (action verse) and Egg Carton Garden
For Little Friends: My Garden (action verse) and Garden Watering Bottle
Recycled Gardening Kit

Fun Activities @ lds.org
A Happy Harvest Some gospel related and a dot-to-dot
Sharing Time: Make a String Picture
Sharing Time: Reverence for Creation (create a garden in a shoe box)
Plant a Garden - Song
Grandma's Garden - Story

Other Links @ lds.org
The Prophet Said to Plant a Garden - Song
From Latter-day Prophets: Spencer W. Kimball
For Little Friends: Faith
Sharing Time: Faith in Jesus Christ and make a book: "The Word of God Is like a Seed"

Copyright © 2001-2004, 2006 Barbara Pratt.  All rights reserved.