Garden Theme/Unit Books

Some of the books we are using for our GARDEN unit. We start off with The Carrot Seed and a general discussion the first day, then break it out by seeds, gardening procedures, plant physiology, and plant lifecycles and pollination. There is, of course, a lot of cross-over between these. For older preschoolers I do this as a week unit, transitioning into a worm unit, insect unit and food unit for the month.

The copy of The Carrot Seed that we use
is actually my childhood one from 1969.
It's a little love-worn.

With this younger crowd, we are doing garden over two weeks, hitting on worms and food along the way. But they are too young for most of the information and activities for those subjects. We will cross-over and transition into insects for another week and pond for a week. Hopefully the tadpoles will be ready around then.


And YES, when I talk about books, they are ones we are truly using. Here is this week's book display.

I will add additional review information for each when I have time later this week. A couple of my favorites are unfortunately out of print.

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle has received some mixed reviews. Some say that it is too dramatic for young children. I have found, though, that while I may find it disturbing from my adult perspective and life experiences, young children do not have that same baggage and are just fine with the trials and tribulations that befall the seeds. They simply do not have the emotional stake in adversity that we do...yet. Most preschoolers also lack a concept of death. Girls gain that around age 5 and boys not until 6-7, so their view point is very different. If some are working on that concept, I think this book is a perfect teaching opportunity, as it doesn't deal with animals or people, thus lessening that emotional connection for young ones learning about death.