Do you have a child who loves to garden? Are you the parent of a kid who loves to get his or her hands dirty? Are you a family of nature lovers?
I’m raising my hand over here and I am thrilled to announce that this month, in the {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, we will be enjoying fantastic gardening books and resources!
My children love to be outdoors. I measure the success of our days in smiles and sediment in the tub…
… and as you can see from the above video, we tend to have quite a bit of sediment in that tub!
If you can relate, I hope you love this month’s books. I’ve also included some fun resources for taking these books to the next level, with fun activities, games, and resources for nature study!
Gardening Books for Children
Gardening books for the whole family
These books are perfect for gardening inspiration:
Picture books for little gardeners
Here’s a nice mix of fiction and nonfiction sure to delight the little gardener in your life:
Two perfect resources for spring and summer nature study
Since we are on the subject, I’d like to share two of my favorite resources for super easy, super fun nature study. One is an oldie but a goodie and one is a new favorite.
First, my new favorite…
100 Backyard Activities That Are the Dirtiest, Coolest, Creepy-Crawliest Ever! is the latest book written by Colleen Kessler. Colleen is an award-winning educator, author, speaker, homeschool mom to four gifted and 2e children, and founder of Raising Lifelong Learners. She is also a dear friend of mine (Colleen and I co-founded Raising Poppies, an online community for parents of gifted and twice-exceptional children).
100 Backyard Activities That Are the Dirtiest, Coolest, Creepy-Crawliest Ever! is visually stunning and jam-packed with experiments and nature activities that children can do with–or without–their parents. In addition, the book includes fun facts and jokes that will have your children quizzing their grandparents (ask me how I know!).
I love when I find a book that is easy to use, engaging, and educational. This is one of those books, and it will teach your children how to find the answers to oodles of questions, including:
- Can a worm smell different foods?
- How much weight can a super-strong bess beetle carry?
- Are crickets happier alone or with a buddy?
- Would you touch a spider or–gasp!–keep one for a pet?
100 Backyard Activities That Are the Dirtiest, Coolest, Creepy-Crawliest Ever! shows kids that they don’t need a museum or science text to have fun with science… all they need is their backyard! With this book, your children will become experts on insects, reptiles, birds, and plants by getting to know them up close and personal.
The best part? This book will have your children spending more time outdoors this spring and summer, and who doesn’t want that?
And now an old favorite…
Exploring Nature with Children: A Complete Year-Long Curriculum was created by Lynn Seddon, a fellow homeschooling mom, and blogger. It is just what is says: a complete, year-long curriculum. It contains 48 weeks of material, starting in September and continuing throughout the year, but you can jump into the curriculum at any point during the year.
The book is completely self-contained, housing all the information you need to make nature study a part of your family’s routine. It would work for both those comfortable in nature and those new to nature exploration.
The first chapter of the book explains how to use it in your homeschool and also includes the following:
An overview of nature study- A page for each season, complete with a list of materials required for each weekly nature walk.
- A chapter for each month, including four weekly themed nature study lessons for each month.
There are so many things that I love about this curriculum. It encompasses so many of the qualities that I look for when purchasing a curriculum.
- Simple, yet filled with great content
- Easy to use- you can jump right in immediately
- Works well with multiple ages
- Incorporates other subjects, such as science, writing, music appreciation, art, and poetry.
- Can be used for multiple years
All you need to do is to download and print the curriculum, put it in a binder, and go!
Some fun books for grown-ups
I didn’t want to forget the moms and dads! Here are a few books that are currently in my book pile:
Take learning to the next level with these nature games and resources
Love to be outdoors?
Be sure to check out these related posts:
- Exploring Nature with Children: A Complete, Year-Long Curriculum
- DIY Nature Explorer Pack
- 5+ Nature Games for Your Homeschool
- 10 of the Best Nature Gifts for Kids: Affordable and Fun!
- Simple Pond Study
- Easy Outdoor Art
- Fairy House STEM
- Forts: The Original STEM Challenge
- 50 Ways to Fight Nature Deficit Disorder this Fall and Winter
Do you want to see Coffee and Books in action?
Be sure to follow My Little Poppies because we share snapshots of our homeschool day… and heaps of fantastic books!
You are also invited to join the {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a private Facebook Group for parents who love to read fantastic books to their children… and chat about them!
Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: Is your favorite gardening book listed here? If not, share it with me so that I can read it!
