Celebrating Spring! Gardening with Kids

We love winter in our home but for some reason we’re so excited for spring this year. For me, I look forward to the sunshine and outdoor activities with my sons (the perfect “no mess” solution too!). We love exploring our huge world, and, let’s be honest, the sunshine makes exploring even better!

Our first activity this spring season is going to happen this week. We are PLANTING our garden bed. This year, my almost 3 year old, gets a small bed all for himself. We purchased two small rectangular shaped beds about 1 foot by 5 feet each. We have some space in our yard to plant but the soil is not great. Plus this way our son really owns the garden space. He even wants to decorate it, of which I am a huge proponent! We placed the beds in a spot that gets the best sun and will mix in some fresher soil before we plant seeds.

Gardening is such a great activity with kids. You get to spend time outdoors, learn about botany and get your hands dirty with soil and wet with water (wonderful sensory experiences). Gardening also teaches good work ethic and care for other things. I already mentioned patience as being a virtue in this process too so we can add that life lesson to the long list of benefits of gardening.

I am looking forward to our trip to the nursery. I asked my son what he wants to plant and he said, “strawberries, carrots and sunflowers”. So, we’ll see how it goes. I left the choice up to him for the most part but I’ll guide him so we can have some exciting sprouts poking through the soil at some point in the next few months. Of course, for BOTH of us, the toughest part will be waiting for the exciting first sign of growth to pop from the soil.

BOOKS
We are gearing up for our trip to the nursery and planting session by reading some of our favorite children’s books about spring.

A few books that we pulled from the shelves to celebrate spring planting are the beloved The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus because the story is simple, adorable and a classic, Inch by Inch: The Garden Song by David Mallett with the melody and beautiful illustrations and Zinnia’s Flower Garden by Monica Wellington for the sweet, down to earth story, colors and guide to growing your own flowers at the end. We also adore One Bean by Anne Rockwell, The Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, Bugs for Lunch by Margery Facklam and Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole. All these books are colorful, tell a sweet story and may even get your AND your child giggling a bit (Diary of a Worm appeals to both children and adult humor, one of the many reasons we love it.)!

MUSIC
In addition to stories, we’re getting inspired by music. Inch by Inch: The Garden Song is an obvious choice but we also include Plant a Little Seed by Nancy Stewart and a few songs we collected over the years from classes, books and websites. Those songs are written out below. The link to Plant a Little Seed is great because Nancy includes the learning benefits and activities to go along with the song.

Gardening Songs
To “I am a Little Teapot”
I’m a Little Seedling
I love the Sun
Give me some water and let’s have some fun
Put me in soil
at the start of Spring
When I grow up
We can all sing!

To “Frere Jacques”
Planting seedlings, Planting seedlings,
In the ground, In the ground,
Water them and they grow,
Water them and they grow,
Give them sun, give them sun.

To “Peanut, Peanut Butter, and Jelly”
First you take the seed and you plant it, you plant it
Chorus: Planting, Planting Flowers, for Springtime
Next you take a shovel and you dig, you dig
Chorus: Planting, Planting Flowers, for Springtime
Put it in the soil and you cover, you cover
Chorus: Planting, Planting Flowers, for Springtime
Next you take the can and you water, you water
Chorus: Planting, Planting Flowers, for Springtime
Give it lots of sun and it will sprout, will sprout
Chorus: Planting, Planting Flowers, for Springtime
Look at all the flowers that are growing, are growing
Chorus: Planting, Planting Flowers, for Springtime

To: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”
Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants?
Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants?
All kinds of plants that grow and grow and grow.
Do you know the parts of plants, parts of plants?

The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place.
The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place.
The roots store food and water too.
The roots hold the plant in place, plant in place.

The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant.
The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant.
The stem brings water to the leaves.
The stem moves water up the plant, up the plant.

The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun.
The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun.
The sun helps the plant to grow and grow and grow.
The leaves soak up the sun, soak up the sun.

The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit.
The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit.
Inside the fruit are little, tiny seeds.
The flower grows into a fruit, into a fruit.

To: “The Farmer In The Dell”
The farmer plants the seeds The farmer plants the seeds
Hi, Ho and Cherry O

The farmer plants the seeds
The rain begins to fall
The sun begins to shine
The plants begin to grow
The buds all open up
The flowers smile at me

Thank you for visiting our blog. I hope I have inspired you today…
Marnie

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Marnie Craycroft

Founder, Publisher, Writer & Editor at Carrots Are Orange, Inc.

Marnie began Carrots Are Orange in 2010 after the birth of her first son. Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori inspired homeschooling blog for parents and educators. She hails from Maine, a wonderfully down to earth place to grow up. Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999, currently living in Seattle with her husband and two young boys. She is pursuing Montessori certification.

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