Handprint Garden Markers & Gardening Books for Kids


While I wasn't prepared to commit to a full fledged garden, I thought it would be a good experience for the kids to grow something this summer.  We decided to use the flower boxes on our deck to plant some carrots, grape and cherry tomatoes, and strawberries.  The kids helped me do the planting on Mother's Day.



I also made some garden markers from their handprints.  These are made from craft sticks, craft foam, and hot glue so I don't know how long they'll last outside, but at least we'll get to enjoy them for a little while.

Our carrots were the only thing we planted from seed. I chose a short variety hoping they'll do okay in the container.
We already have a tiny strawberry!
We planted both grape and cherry tomatoes in an effort to get the kids to like at least one kind!
Of course, we also checked out some gardening books from the library:

My Garden by Kevin Henkes is about a little girl who helps with her mother's garden and imagines what a garden all her own would be like.  Our favorites were the jelly bean bush and the strawberries that glowed in the dark.
 


The Carrot Seed was the perfect book for us!  A little boy plants a carrot seed.  Despite everyone telling him it won't grow, he takes good care of it and it grows into one huge carrot.  I think we'll be happy if we get just one carrot, and it doesn't even have to be all that big!



My son really liked The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and asked lots of questions about seeds and how things grow.  We liked looking for the tiny seed on every page, watching it escape many dangers, and eventually seeing it grow into a huge flower.

 


What have you been up to this week?  I'd love for you to link up any kid friendly projects!  I'll pin some favorites to the Kid's Co-op Pinterest board!

Reading Confetti

Welcome to The Kid's Co-op! Each week we get together we'll ask YOU to share your favorite kid's activities. We'd love to see a plethora of ideas geared for toddlers to pre-teens. We are looking for activities that are family oriented, fun, unique and educational. Please share your favorite project or blog post below. We will be sharing our favorite post from our own blogs too! {Co-hosted by: The Kid's Co-op Group, Let's Lasso the Moon & Nurture Store}

PS: By linking up you agree that your post and photos are Pinterest friendly. We will be showcasing ideas on our group Pinterest Board. Are following the Kid's Co-op on Facebook? Let's connect!





















































































































































































(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)
Linking to Gluesticks, Bear Rabbit Bear, Link It Up Thursday, Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons, JDaniel4's Mom, Family Ever After, Six Sisters' Stuff, A Pinteresting Party, Delicate Construction, What's in the Gunny Sack?, Tip Junkie, Tip-Toe Thru Tuesday, ABC and 123, Whimsy Wednesday, Garden Hop

18 comments:

  1. Melanie @ bear rabbit bearMay 17, 2012 at 9:09 AM

    This is a great idea to get the kids involved with gardening. Thanks for sharing at Things I've Done Thursday this week.

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  2. LauraMay 17, 2012 at 9:15 AM

    Those garden markers have to be just about the cutest things. I hope they hold up because they're so cheerful.

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  3. Eric VanRaepenbuschMay 17, 2012 at 10:18 AM

    The Carrot Seed is one of favorite books!

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  4. AnonymousMay 18, 2012 at 7:00 PM

    That is a cute idea on how to remember what was planted where

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  5. AnonymousMay 18, 2012 at 10:03 PM

    This are so cute! I love their bright colors!

    Thank you for linking to Read.Explore.Learn. I pinned this post.

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  6. LaurenMay 19, 2012 at 7:34 AM

    I love those signs! HAVE to make these for our plants. :) Thanks for sharing at A Pinteresting Party!

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  7. UnknownMay 19, 2012 at 10:17 AM

    Lorie, You are sooo creative! Those garden signs are too stinkin' cute! And I love how you always correspond activities to similar themed books. That is something I want to strive to do with my kids. I am definitely pinning this to my kids crafts board. -Sarah @ Repeat Crafter Me

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  8. UnknownMay 19, 2012 at 11:27 PM

    I'm excited to be a new follower! I would love you to follow me back at http://iheartpears.blogspot.com

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  9. SharlaMay 20, 2012 at 4:30 PM

    Those garden markers are so cute! We are just planting our garden boxes this weekend.

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  10. Recipes We LoveMay 21, 2012 at 4:18 PM

    This is a fun idea! Our kids love working on our garden and this would be something else they can do.

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  11. UnknownMay 21, 2012 at 6:34 PM

    These are so sweet. My favorite is the strawberry! Thanks for sharing them in the Kids Co-Op!

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  12. Six SistersMay 21, 2012 at 7:32 PM

    These are so cute! We are so glad you came to another week of our fun "Strut Your Stuff Saturday". Please join us again! -The Sisters

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  13. UnknownMay 22, 2012 at 7:53 PM

    I adore these! So cute! Thanks so much for sharing at Whimsy Wednesdays.

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  14. Learn with Play at HomeMay 22, 2012 at 9:48 PM

    I really loved the garden markers! So cute! I'm featuring this post on my blog with next week's kid's co-op so be sure to come over and grab your featured button :)

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  15. Bella @ artclubblogMay 23, 2012 at 5:38 PM

    I love your garden markers. It's such a creative way to involve kids, and they look great!

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  16. CarrieMay 24, 2012 at 7:22 AM

    These are so cute, Lorie! Thank you for sharing them at Sharing Saturday!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!!

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  17. PinkOddyMarch 14, 2013 at 6:17 AM

    They are sweet. What a great way of remembering what is planted where

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  18. AnonymousMay 7, 2013 at 10:05 PM

    I love these plant markers. Thank you so much for sharing them with my readers on the Dig Into Gardening Link Up.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!