Garden Ready

Actually, no, I'm not ready for my garden, or flowers, or a green lawn.  Actually our yard is a complete and total mess right now due to some projects, but since 2013 is The Year of the Yard in Ericksonland, I need to get myself ready, and what better way to do that than to put together a gardening story time!!

(What-you say that's not how to get a garden ready?  You mean I have to get my rake and gloves and shovel and dirt and pavers together and start bagging up all that junk from the bushes we dug out and tackle that huge pile of dirt in the yard.  Well that's not fun.  I'm sticking with my plan.)

First, pick your books!

 And here we have a lovely assortment of Gardening and Spring Books for your reading pleasure!

Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum-Old MacDonald's not the only one with skills, his niece is quite the farmer too!

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes-Everything comes together in a lovely way on this spring day.

My Garden by Kevin Henkes-Grow a garden your way in this wonderfully illustrated book.

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming-Keep those pesky rabbits away from your carrots!

Tops and Bottoms by Jane Stevens-The Rabbit strikes again in this classic folk tale

and then it's spring by Julie Fogliano-A little boy anxiously waits for spring (I feel ya!)

Books down, now you need rhymes and songs.

The Farmer Plants the Seed (Tune:  Farmer in the Dell)
The farmer plants the seed, the farmer plants the seed.
Hi-ho and cheery-o
The farmer plants the seed
Other verses-the sun begins to shine, the rain begins to fall, the seed begins to grow, the flower grows up tall, and then make up some of your own!

Little Seed
Little seed in the ground, sitting so still
Little speed, will you sprout?  Yes I will!
(Crouch down on the floor until you jump up at the end!)

Bumblebee (Tune:  Jingle Bells)
Bumblebee, bumblebee, buzzing on my nose
Bumblebee, bumblebee, buzzing on my toes
On my knees, on my head, on my elbows
Bumblebee oh bumblebee, he buzzes and he goes!
(Make one hand a flying little bumblebee and buzz it to each body part)

And because gardening is dirty business,

This is the Way We Wash Our Hands (Tune:  Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)
This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands.
This is the way we wash our hands, after all our work.
Extras, dry our hands, wash our face, wash legs, wiggle our hands.  This can go on for a while!

Rhymes down so it's time for a craft!

I found this craft picture a couple of weeks ago and remembered how much I loved this one!

The Bee and the Flower

Pretty self explanatory right there.  Print out a black and white flower to color, cut a stem and leaves out of green construction paper or cardstock, cut a white strip from cardstock, and cut out a bee (either in color or b/w to color).

Give each child the following pieces:  B/W flower, green stem and leaves, white strip, bee and paper fastener.  Then, color the flower (and bee if you go that route), glue the stem and leaves to the flower, glue the bee to the strip, and connect the strip to the flower using a paper fastener.  Now your bee can pollenate the flower and you don't have to worry about allergies!  

And BAM you have a story time!  I wish that it's that easy to clean up my yard.  At least I have fun pink gardening gloves for this weekend.  You have to look good to do good work!

Happy Reading!