Gardening with Children

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It's basic gardening

It's basic gardening

I Can't Wait To Get Started!!!

I can't wait to get started!

Gardening with Children
Beth Richardson
Manufacturer: Taunton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1561581925
Release Date: 1998-05-01

Amazon.com

Richardson creates an unusual approach to gardening, a guide to including children of all ages in the garden. Divided into two main sections, "Including Children in the Gardening Activity" and "Making Gardening Fun for Children," the author provides all the basics of gardening--planning, planting, composting, soil preparation--but shows how to include children in the process, how to interpret and teach, and how to engage them fully and joyfully in the entire process from planting to gathering flowers and eating the vegetables they have helped to grow.

Some of the activities outlined are creating a "pizza garden," building a heritage garden, making a scarecrow, carving personalized pumpkins, and saving seeds. To bring the pleasures and delights and knowledge of the garden and gardening to children will give them an experience that will last a lifetime. --Mark A. Hetts

Customer Reviews:

It's basic gardening.......2003-10-13

This book is really Gardening 101 with the addition of cute pictures of kids. It's all about good, solid, nature-based gardening, the way an experienced gardener might explain it to new gardeners, whether they were children or not. I can't fault the gardening advice - everything is sound and sensible. It covers garden planning, soil basics, organic gardening, composting, planting garden maintenance and a chapter on making gardening fun for children.

The flaw in the book to me was that it was all learning by doing and not enough hanging out and wondering. There is so much a child can learn by just hanging out in a garden and watching. They can watch, for example, a spider trussing his catch or ants herding aphids and learn how this garden world works, not to mention producing teachable moments galore. There is so much to ask about ("Why is this flower blue"?) It's great if adults have answers, or the means to research answers but it's even better if we can enter a child's world of imagination for a while and share his approach to a garden, rather than imposing our own.

Another failing was that the children in the photographs (all clean and healthy-looking, no dirty or disabled kids here) are all in their tidy, bright clothes and carefully posed as directed, digging, let's say, or gazing in wonder at a seedling. If only that were real life!

This would be a useful book in the household of a young family who are faced with coping with a new garden and children who would like to help with it. But be warned - they might get dirty!

It's basic gardening.......2003-10-13

This book is really Gardening 101 with the addition of cute pictures of kids. Itýs all about good, solid, nature-based gardening, the way an experienced gardener might explain it to new gardeners, whether they were children or not. I canýt fault the gardening advice - everything is sound and sensible. It covers garden planning, soil basics, organic gardening, composting, planting garden maintenance and a chapter on making gardening fun for children.

The flaw in the book to me was that it was all learning by doing and not enough hanging out and wondering. There is so much a child can learn by just hanging out in a garden and watching. They can watch, for example, a spider trussing his catch or ants herding aphids and learn how this garden world works, not to mention producing teachable moments galore. There is so much to ask about (ýWhy is this flower blueý?) Itýs great if adults have answers, or the means to research answers but itýs even better if we can enter a childýs world of imagination for a while and share his approach to a garden, rather than imposing our own.

Another failing was that the children in the photographs (all clean and healthy-looking, no dirty or disabled kids here) are all in their tidy, bright clothes and carefully posed as directed, digging, letýs say, or gazing in wonder at a seedling. If only that were real life!

This would be a useful book in the household of a young family who are faced with coping with a new garden and children who would like to help with it. But be warned - they might get dirty!

I Can't Wait To Get Started!!!.......2001-03-03

I checked this book out of the library last month, but just a few pages into I knew I had to own it! I was so inspired I almost started planting mid-winter! It is packed full of fun ideas like planting a pizza shaped garden with all the ingredients for your kid's favorite pizza. You'll also learn how to surprise you kids with pumpkins that grow with their names on them. The book covers everything you need to know, for everyone from beginners to experts. Everything you need to know; soil, sun, what to plant, how to plant and where to plant it. The pictures are charming. Read with caution - you'll want to get started immediately!

I can't wait to get started!.......2001-03-03

Average customer rating:

The title maybe Ugly Vegetables, but it's beautiful story
The Ugly Vegetables
Enjoyable
An awesome book and receipe included, how great is that!
Should Be in Every Library!

The Ugly Vegetables
Grace Lin
Manufacturer: Charlesbridge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0881063363

Book Description

It's easy to appreciate a garden exploding with colorful flowers and fragrances, but what do you do with a patch of ugly vegetables? Author/illustrator Grace Lin recalls such a garden in this charming and eloquent story.

The neighbors' gardens look so much prettier and so much more inviting to the young gardener than the garden of “black-purple-green vines, fuzzy wrinkled leaves, prickly stems, and a few little yellow flowers” that she and her mother grow. Nevertheless, mother assures her that “these are better than flowers.” Come harvest time, everyone agrees as those ugly Chinese vegetables become the tastiest, most aromatic soup they have ever known. As the neighborhood comes together to share flowers and ugly vegetable soup, the young gardener learns that regardless of appearances, everything has its own beauty and purpose.

The Ugly Vegetables springs forth with the bright and cheerful colors of blooming flowers and bumpy, ugly vegetables. Grace Lin's colorful, playful illustrations pour forth with abundant treasures. Complete with a guide to the Chinese pronunciation of the vegetables and the recipe for ugly vegetable soup! Try it . . . you'll love it, too!

Customer Reviews:

The title maybe Ugly Vegetables, but it's beautiful story.......2007-05-13

I was drawn to this book for several reasons. First off, I have a child born in and adopted from China and am naturally drawn to books relating to Chinese people. As much as I want her to understand her birth culture I am also learning at the same time. We have several Grace Lin books in our library at home and have loved everyone of them. What I love about this book is that it illustrates how we all have something to teach one another and that through our sharing and teaching we actually become comfortable with ourselves. This isn't just a book about some unusual vegetables, it's a story about people and what we each have to offer the world.

The Ugly Vegetables.......2006-03-15

One of my two year olds favorite books. Beautiful illustrations and a fun story, especially if coming from a gardening background. My daughter also loves trying to say the Chinese words for the vegetables at the end of the book.

Enjoyable.......2005-10-04

I bought this book for my 3 year old, but I think it's a bit too complicated for her. The story is lovely, and I bought this based on our enjoyment together of several other books illustrated and/or written by Ms. Lin. However, her attention span at 3 is too short to get through all of the narrative, so we just looked at the pictures while I summarized. The pictures, as usual, were colorful and intriguing, but we put this book aside for next Summer, when she'll be closer to 4, and we can read it together as we plan our own "ugly" vegetable garden.

An awesome book and receipe included, how great is that!.......2004-08-22

Each Grace Lin book I get, I am just so impressed by her talent! Every child loves to get their hands into dirt and growing flowers or vegetables is always fun and gives the child great pride to show everyone their hard work and or beautiful flowers!

Every child wants to be just the same as their friends, especially those in the neighborhood. Mom and daughter start in the spring to plant their garden and while everyone else in the neighborhood each have their own way of tending their gardens totally different from how her and her mom garden. When their plants appear they look like grass, where other neighbors' appear they look like normal plants.

The little girl constantly asks questions as all children do, why mommy, why mommy and her mommy patiently answers each of her daughters questions. When others in the neighborhood have beautiful flowersthat smell so good, the little girls garden has what she sees as ugly plants with no beautiful scents. Once the vegetables are ready to be harvested the little girl and mother gather their wheelbarrow with their vegetables. Later that afternoon the daughter is out playing in the yard and smells a wonderful smell and it's coming from her house! Her mom has made soup using their harvest and her mom gives her a bowl..... it tastes so good! Then there comes knocking at their door and it's the little girls neighbors wanting to trade their beautiful flowers for a bowl of soup. The Mom tells the neighbors about each vegetables and the next spring the little girl notices her neighbors growing " Ugly Vegetables" too!

I love that Lin includes a receipe to make using these so called "ugly vegetables" and that she included their names and even sounded them out. Keep up the good work Mrs. Lin and I'll keep on buying your books and singing praises to anyone who'll read my reviews!

Should Be in Every Library!.......2001-06-29

This was a wonderful story that my husband and children just loved. We learned about some new vegetables in the process. As a kid I wasn't fond of bitter melon, but I'm willing to give it a second try after reading the book! My 5 and 6 year old boys are clamoring for us to go out, buy some ugly vegetables, and make the soup! This book appeals to every member of the family and the illustrations are beautiful.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic introduction to art
interesting
Bright colors for baby, actual art for parents!
In the Garden with Van Gogh
Wonderful book for toddlers!

In the Garden with Van Gogh
Julie Merberg , and Suzanne Bober
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0811834158

Book Description

With a narrative that will entertain art lovers of all ages, this new board book is a fun way to introduce young children to fine art. The sleepy trees, golden haystacks, and juicy fruits of In the Garden with Van Gogh will delight little ones. Playful rhyming texts accompany the artist s timeless paintings in this little masterpiece.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic introduction to art.......2007-08-28

We bought the 4-box collection which includes this book, and have bought many of the others since. My daughter loves them, and they are a wonderful addition to any child's library.

interesting .......2007-07-16

My 16 month old son enjoys this book very much. He is fascinated by the images and he likes to listen to the rhymes as well. An excellent introduction to art.

Bright colors for baby, actual art for parents!.......2007-05-16

Little ones love these colors, Van Gogh used a lot of vivid colors and they are just as stimulating as Seuss illustrations. Finally a book parents can ejoy reading to their kids!

In the Garden with Van Gogh.......2007-03-09

I am a preschool teacher and enjoy teaching three year olds about art and artists. One artist that we recently studied was Vincent Van Gogh. The children painted sunflowers just like Van Gogh. They loved looking at this book and hearing the story that went along with it. They spent a lot of time studying his sunflower painting in this book and then painted beautiful sunflowers of their own!

Wonderful book for toddlers!.......2006-10-04

Our son has had this book since he was about 19 months old, but he's just now becoming really interested in it a year later. This book is fantastic. The rhymes are a little awkward, but they hold a toddlers attention. The best part though, is that it introduces children to the works of one of the great masters! My son can now see a print of a Van Gogh (or tapestry, or whatever medium the piece is recreated in) and he'll run up to it and yell "Van Gogh!" It's a pretty spectacular thing to see, and what a wonderful gift for early learning!

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children

Average customer rating:

neat ideas!!
WOW!! Lets start gardening!!!
Light hearted drawings and magical ideas
good book, and a warning for parents of small children
Lots of creative ideas!!!

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children
Sharon Lovejoy
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0761117652

Amazon.com

Green thumbs and non-green thumbs alike will fall in love with Roots, Shoots, Buckets, & Boots, a remarkably fun and informative introduction to the wonderful world of gardening--and more specifically, gardening with children. Learn how to make everything from a pizza garden (pizza-pie-shaped, with herbs and vegetables for a fabulous pizza at harvest time), to a sunflower house (a secret hideaway with stately sunflowers and lovely creeping morning glories), to a moon garden ("Fragrance is the color of night"). Chock full of helpful hints, clever and artistic touches, and intriguing "recipes" (Moth Broth and Compost Sandwich, to name a few), this idea book will spark creativity and a lifelong fascination with gardening. Nine concepts for theme gardens are presented in a clearly defined yet non-rigid manner that is just right for encouraging young gardeners. Sharon Lovejoy, award-winning author and illustrator of several gardening books, including Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart, has a true knack for working with all kinds of living things, including children. She understands how quickly young people will be turned off by inflexible rules, and instead encourages budding green thumbs to experiment and explore, while providing them with useful guidelines and helpful information. Wonderfully earthy watercolors make this cozy book even more welcoming. (All ages) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Plant a pumpkinseed with a child, and cultivate wonder. This simple act of reconnecting with children with nature is Sharon Lovejoy's purpose and joy and gift. Author of Sunflower Houses: Garden Discoveries for Children of All Ages and Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart, Sharon Lovejoy is a nationally known garden writer whose books, television specials, and projects at her learning landscape in California have introduced thousands of children to the pleasures of gardening.

In her newest book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, she presents 12 spirited, easy-to-implement ideas for theme gardens that parents and kids can grow together. Illustrated throughout by the author's own lyrical watercolors, each garden includes a plan, the planting recipe -- seeds, seedlings, and growing instructions spelled out step-by-step -- and activities. There's the Pizza Patch , a giant-size wheel garden planted in "slices" of tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil. A Flowery Maze to get lost in. A Moon Garden of night-blooming flowers, including a moonflower tent. And Mother Nature's Medicine Chest.

Discovery Walks teach kids how the gardens work, and a chapter on gardening basics includes a child-friendly 10-Minute Plan for planting and maintenance, plus a list of the top 20 plants guaranteed to make gardeners out of kids.

Customer Reviews:

neat ideas!!.......2007-05-14

This book has things I wouldn't normally think of to get kids interested in gardening and outdoors. My husband used the idea of a sunflower fort and planted sunflowers in a big circle next to our garden. The kids can hardly wait for their secret fort to come up so they can play inside. Our oldest (8) sits around reading it to her little brother so they can pick out their next project. :o)

WOW!! Lets start gardening!!! .......2007-02-26

I bought both books. Roots,Shoots,Buckets & Boots, and Sunflower Houses. They are not the same! There are a couple of similar items, but both worth having and different. Sunflower houses shows how to make leaf hats and flower crowns, screechers, boats, pansy dolls, and much much more. The first book (roots, shoots,..) shows more creative gardening and hideouts and things like pizza patches sunflower hideouts and flower mazes. They both teach how to make hollyhock dolls. I recommend both. But if you only want one, get the roots, shoots, buckets and boots. However dont pass up the chance later on to get Sunflower Houses. Enjoy!!!

Light hearted drawings and magical ideas.......2006-11-30

With lyrical watercolors this lively text explains how to create 12 child-friendly theme gardens, including both a moon garden and a pizza garden. I simply had to buy this book, because even though I'm not gardening with children, I enjoy dreaming up and planting fun theme gardens.
I included this book in my article "25 Best Books For Hobby Farmers", in the November/December 2006 issue of Hobby Farms magazine.

good book, and a warning for parents of small children.......2006-10-26

This book is excellent. The idea is wonderful, the illustrations are beautiful; it makes a great gift; it's very inspiring. My three small boys were very excited about helping in the garden this year, and we paged through the book many times, trying to decide which project to start with.

However, I was shocked to discover that Moonflowers (recommended for the Moon Garden) are not as child-friendly as I assumed! I started some Moonflower vines from seed which didn't do as well once I transplanted them. It came up in conversation and I was told of a relative who almost died from eating something from this plant; recently there was a report on the news of college-age kids who were "pre-comatose" from eating the pods. Of course, you should always keep an eye on kids, and teach them not to eat anything in the garden without permission. But if you have small children, you know something is bound to go in their mouths that shouldn't, at some point. Many plants have poisonous parts, including tomato plants and foxgloves. If you have small children, be sure you know what you planted!!

Overall, I LOVE this book and look forward to trying more of the ideas in it, next spring.

Lots of creative ideas!!!.......2006-08-27

I love this book!! There are so many creative ideas to get kids involved in gardening!!! I can't wait to try them!!

Ready, Set, Grow: A Guide to Gardening With Children

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Ready, Set, Grow: A Guide to Gardening With Children
Suzanne Frutig Bales
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0028603990

Kid's Gardening: A Kid's Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt/With Seeds, Shovel

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KidsGardening: A Kids' Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt

Kid's Gardening: A Kid's Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt/With Seeds, Shovel
Kevin Raftery , and Kim Gilbert Raftery
Manufacturer: Klutz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

Agriculture | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0932592252

Book Description

The gardening book for any climate, any time, any kid. Full of activities for indoors and out, it's packaged with seven varieties of seeds and a trowel that is, as far as we can tell, indestructible.

Customer Reviews:

KidsGardening: A Kids' Guide to Messing Around in the Dirt.......2000-04-04

What a wonderful book to use as a guide in teaching your children how to garden. The illustrations are adorable and the instructions are clear and easily understood by young gardeners. Don't let the reference to a calendar mislead you (as it did me). This book is spiral bound for easy use and is chock-full of information and fun activites for your children.

The 20-Minute Gardener: The Garden of Your Dreams Without Giving up Your Life, Your Job, or Your Sanity

Average customer rating:

more pleasure, less pain
Not only informative, but damn funny!
LIGHT-HEARTED GARDENING BOOK
take it in the spirit in which it is given
The authors have their priorities straight

The 20-Minute Gardener: The Garden of Your Dreams Without Giving up Your Life, Your Job, or Your Sanity
Marty Asher
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0375752668
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Book Description

The 20-Minute Gardener is a hands-on, user-friendly guide based on low-maintenance organic techniques that puts the fun back into gardening as well as the money back into your wallet. This book represents gardening for "the rest of us." It covers everything from choosing the right plants (ones that are easy to care for) and shopping for them, to designing your garden without graph paper and getting rid of pests (see Chapter 9, "Peter Rabbit Had It Coming"). All in just 20 minutes a day.

In addition to the basics are Tom and Marty's easy-to-follow, inexpensive 20-minute projects, such as "A 20-Minute Nocturne," in which a workaholic/commuter (in this case, Marty) can create a garden that he/she can enjoy after dark, or "Rooting for Roses," in which Tom tells you how he takes cuttings from the most self-sufficient, well-adapted, and flourishing roses around--for free!

Finally, there are tips and lists galore. Find out how to read a fertilizer label, what kind of tools to buy (note that Tom says don't listen to Marty on this one because he "thinks the scuffle hoe is a square dance he did one time when he was down in Texas"), and how to make the most of your neighbors' kids, and read "Tom's Sixteen All-time Favorite Connoisseur Plants" and "Marty's Top Ten Garden Plants" (number one: grass).

And remember, if all else fails, Chapter 11, "Gardeners Anonymous," features a five-step program for horticultural self-help (step one: gardens are from Earth; gardeners are from Mars!).

It's like Marty says--this book "is the most fun you can have in the garden without throwing dirt!"

Customer Reviews:

more pleasure, less pain.......2002-06-20

A quick and funny read with a refreshingly sensible view of gardening and lots of good ideas for saving time
and money while maximizing pleasure and joy. Perfect for Type A gardeners who think they have something
to prove to the world via their delphiniums and peonies! As one who's sometimes wound a little too tight,
I will attest that I found portions of this book intoxicating in their heady defiance of serious gardening's
elitist tendencies.

Not only informative, but damn funny!.......2002-05-31

These guys should've been stand-up comedians...instead, they are articulate, knowledgeable, outspoken advocates of stress-free, fun gardening. If you're looking for a way to keep your sanity AND have a beautiful yard, this is the book for you. If you want one of those full-color, photo-filled coffeetable gardening books that only uses the Latin names for plants (and assumes you have no life other than gardening) move on. My favorite chapter is "Peter Rabbit Had It Coming"!

LIGHT-HEARTED GARDENING BOOK.......2001-03-22

This book was fun to read, and had some good ideas for those of us who like to garden, but don't always have as much time as we'd like to devote to it.

take it in the spirit in which it is given.......2000-07-18

This book outlines an attitude toward gardening: grow things that you like and that are suited to your area. It sometimes has an odd perception of what counts as a 20 minute project. For example, digging a two foot (!) deep bed, enriching the soil, and planting rose cuttings is takes more than 20 minutes, no matter how much amphetamines you take. But they are right to assert that gardening should be fun, anyone can garden, and we should grow things that, well, GROW. BTW, I disagree with the reviewer who thinks that taking a cutting from an abandoned plant is stealing. Digging up the plant is stealing. Taking a cutting is propogation, not at all harmful to the parent plant. I read a lot of techinical garden books. I found this book a pleasant change of pace, like a chat about gardening.

The authors have their priorities straight.......2000-06-23

This book actually might get me to garden, no small feat. As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as spending too little time on yardwork, so even 20 minutes a day sounded like a lot to me. But the results of the projects described in this book sounded so nice that it almost might be worth it.

Average customer rating:

A Field of Sunflowers

A Field of Sunflowers (Read-With-Me)
Neil Johnson
Manufacturer: Cartwheel Books (Scholastics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0590965492

Customer Reviews:

A Field of Sunflowers.......2000-10-11

This book was a great book which showed the reader beautiful photographs of how to plant sunflowers. I would like to grow some sunflowers next year and make a sunflower house just like they did in the story. I especially liked the photo which showed the artists who came to paint the field of sunflowers, then toward the end of the story the farmer invited his friends and neighbors over to have a dinner party on the lawn under the oak tree next to the field of sunflowers. This was a beautiful book which certainly inspired the reader to become interested in sunflowers if he wasn't already.

Rosie Plants a Radish: A Lift-The-Flap Natur Book With Real Seeds (Lift-The-Flap Nature Books with Real Seeds)

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Rosie Plants a Radish: A Lift-The-Flap Natur Book With Real Seeds (Lift-The-Flap Nature Books with Real Seeds)
Kate Petty , and Axel Scheffler
Manufacturer: Andrews Mcmeel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0836252586

Gardening with Peter Rabbit: A Gardening Set

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Gardening with Peter Rabbit: A Gardening Set
Jennie Walters
Manufacturer: Warne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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