Using quality children’s literature to connect kids to gardening and the natural world is a compelling concept. Plus, bringing gardens and great books together is another great way to grow good kids! For many years the Discovery Garden was host to elementary school classes who came to experience first hand the connections between literature and the garden. This program engaged children through powerful garden and ecology-themed children’s books to enhanced youths’ understanding of the messages and powerful illustrations conveyed in these stories.
Although this particular aspect of the Discovery Garden is no longer viable (the same connection is being explored through different classes) you can take a peek back in time to relive those fond moments. Click on the links to visit:
After reading Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, students created one-of-a-kind collages from natural materials, feathers, rocks, leaves, and more—celebrating the beauty of nature and our connection to the earth.
Inspired by the book Miss Rumphius, our young gardeners got to work spreading firewheel, milkweed, cosmos, sunflower, and zinnia seeds—learning how to create their own mini-meadows and make the world a little more beautiful.
This curriculum utilizes six Growing Good Kids Book Award-winning titles to inspire learning through outdoor activities, creative expression and open exploration. Literature in the Garden, a Junior Master Gardener series, will serve to make their learning and the stories they are reading more relevant.
Looking for gardening related childrens’ books? The Junior Master Gardener Program and the American Horticultural Society honor engaging, inspiring works of plant, garden and ecology-themed children’s literature through the “Growing Good Kids – Excellence in Children’s Literature Awards” Program.
