There are some wonderful books out there you should definitely consider if you have kids and love to garden.
I have posted here some of the books I think you might like (thank goodness for old blog posts from whence came a lot of this information!!)
Books by Sharon Lovejoy
There are four books by Sharon Lovejoy that focus on doing garden things with the kids. They are all the same 'kind' of book (with the exception of Toad Cottages), which is to say they consist of themed children's gardens, PLUS activities and garden ideas. The books are lovely, and are illustrated with Ms. Lovejoy's artwork, which is always a bonus :) I highly recommend them, and most children will enjoy browsing through them for ideas! They have several garden plans and ideas for educational activities with the kids. You will often see them recommended for these reasons :) Take for instance the pizza garden… made with pizza ingredients, looking like a pizza and with several follow-up activities to go along with it!
SSunflower Houses
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots
Hollyhock Days
Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars
Of all of Ms. Lovejoy's books for 'Gardening with Children' this one stands alone. Designed with the Grandmother in mind, it is filled with wonderful crafts, ideas and activities to share with the children. It is not precisely a 'gardening' book, but has a lot of gardening ideas in it, and though it is written for the Grandmother, I think mother can get lots of ideas from it too :) At the very least, it would make a nice present for a Grandmother :)
Honeysuckle Sipping by Jeanné Chesanow
This book is extraordinary! It is a compilation of tales of childhood plant lore and activities. I am sure you will recognize some of the things you did with plants and flowers as a child… I know I did ;) It is a very charming read, highly recommended!
Gardening Wizardry for Kids by Patricia Kite, Yvette Santiago Banek
A cute book, full of experiments and facts and gardening fun. It is whimsically illustrated with cartoon like pictures, but don’t let that disturb you! The content is more than worthy of the purchase price. The experiments vary from the typical “watch seeds grow” to more unique ideas.
Shanleya's Quest by Thomas J. Elpel
This was a suggestion of Rebecca’s, but I was on board because I had discovered Elpel’s Botany in a Day a few years ago, and loved it. Shanleya’s Quest is more for the kids though :) Follow along with Shanleya as she learns about the different plant families.
The Burgess Flower Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess
The Burgess Flower book, is just as delightful as the other Burgess books. Like his Animal and Bird books, this is another tale of Peter Rabbit learning about the world around him... this time Peter notices the onset of spring through the world of flowering plants. Especially delightful are the plants that you will recognise from your own garden and nature walks!
