The carrot seed story by Ruth Krauss; pictures by Crockett Johnson.
New York: HarperCollins, c1973.
Despite everyone's predictions, a little boy is sure his carrot seed will grow.
The tiny seed by Eric Carle
New York: Crowell, c1970.
A simple description of a flowering plant's life cycle through the seasons.
Moose in the garden by Nancy White Carlstrom; paintings by Lisa Desimini.
New York: Harper & Row, c1990.
A young child is delighted when Papa Moose visits the garden and eats almost all the vegetables.
Miss Rumphius story and pictures by Barbara Cooney.
New York: Viking Press, 1982.
As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.
Planting a rainbow written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1988.
A mother and child plant a rainbow of flowers in the family garden.
Growing vegetable soup written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert.
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1987.
A father and child grow vegetables and then make them into a soup.
Miss Emma's wild garden by Anna Grossnickle Hines.
New York: Greenwillow Books, c1997.
A young girl asks about all the wild creatures that can be found in her older friend's garden, from rabbits and woodchucks to butterflies and bees--and one very exuberant child.
Lulu Crow's garden : a silly old story with brand-new pictures by Lizi Boyd.
Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown, c1998.
Rhyming nonsense verses picture Lulu Crow in her garden with all her animal friends.
One watermelon seed story by Celia Barker Lottridge; pictures by Karen Patkau.
Toronto : Oxford University Press, 1986.
This innovative counting book will take a child all the way from one watermelon seed, planted in an empty spring garden, to thousands of puffs of popcorn popped on a winter night.
Vegetable garden by Douglas Florian.
San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, c1991.
Simple rhyming text describes how a family plants a vegetable garden and helps it grow to a rich harvest.
Inch by inch : the garden song by David Mallett; pictures by Ora Eitan.
New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
Inch by inch, row by row, a child grows a garden with the help of the rain and the earth. Based on a popular folksong.
Round the garden written by Omri Glaser; illustrated by Byron Glaser & Sandra Higashi.
New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999.
Traces the journey of a tear as it falls to the ground, evaporates, reappears as rain, and waters a garden to make an onion grow to produce more tears.
The gardener by Sarah Stewart; pictures by David Small.
New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1997.
A series of letters relating what happens when, after her father loses his job, Lydia Grace goes to live with her Uncle Jim in the city but takes her love for gardening with her.
In my garden by Ron Maris.
New York: Greenwillow Books, [c1987]
A girl notes the objects, animals, and friends she enjoys seeing in her garden. Features half pages that reveal hidden portions of the illustrations.
The ugly vegetables by Grace Lin.
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 1999.
A little girl thinks her mother's garden is the ugliest in the neighborhood until she discovers that flowers might look and smell pretty but Chinese vegetable soup smells best of all. Includes a recipe.
The surprise garden by Zoe Hall; illustrated by Shari Halpern.
New York: Blue Sky Press, c1998.
After sowing unmarked seeds, three youngsters wait expectantly for their garden to grow.
Bumblebee, bumblebee, do you know me? A garden guessing game by Anne Rockwell.
New York: HarperCollins, c1999.
A series of riddles that first give descriptions of various flowers and then reveal their names.
Poetry:
Garden Growing
Plant, plant plant the seeds
Pull, pull, pull the weeds
Spray, spray, spray the hose
Watch, watch, watch what grows!
~Virginia Kroll~
In My Garden
In my garden there is
a tiger-
lily,
a dragon-
fly,
a pink fox-
glove,
a yellow cow-
slip,
a queen
bee,
and a polka-dotted lady-
bug.
~Siv Cedering~
Green Spring
Little green buds
on the trees
pop.
Little green frogs
by the pond
hop.
Little green sprouts
in the dirt
grow.
Little green leaves
on the bush
show.
Little green bugs
on the twigs
cling.
Little green signs
tell us it's
spring.
~Elizabeth Giles~
Flannelboard:
Out in the Garden
by Jean Warren
sung to Down by the Station
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the red tomatoes all in a row.
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the yellow squashes all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the blueberries all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the green string beans all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the orange carrots all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the purple cabbages all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Out in the garden early in the morning
See the brown potatoes all in a row
See the happy farmer coming out to pick them.
Pick, pick, pick, pick, off he goes.
Make four of each vegetable out of felt shapes, in the appropriate colors. Place each on the board in rows. As you sing the song, let the children take turns being the happy farmer and "picking" the appropriate rows of vegetable or fruits by removing the shapes from the board.
Flannelboard Flowers
by Jean Warren
Four little flowers
I did see.
I picked one,
Then there were three.
Three little flowers
Pretty and new
I picked another,
Then there were two.
Two little flowers
Out in the sun
I picked one more,
Then there was one.
One little flower
Left in the sun.
I picked it too,
Then there was none!
Make four flowers out of felt and place them on the board. Remove the flowers as you recite the
poem.
The Great Big Enormous Turnip
There are many versions of this
story. Find one you like and make appropriate pieces for the felt board to
tell this classic story.
Puppet:
Violet fingerpuppets.
Five Purple Violets
One purple violet in our garden grew
Up popped another, and that made two
Two purple violets were all that I could see
But I found another, and that made three
Three purple violets -- if I could find one more,
We'd give them to mother -- we'd have four!
Four purple violets -- sure as you're alive!
Why here is another! And now there are five.
Fingerplays and Songs:
Inch by Inch: The Garden Song
by David Mallett
Inch by inch
Row by row
Gonna make this garden grow,
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground.
Inch by inch
Row by row
Some-one bless these seeds I sow,
Some-one warm them from below
'til the rain comes tumblin' down.
Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
'Cause the time is close at hand
Grain for grain
Sun and rain,
Find my way in nature's chain,
Tune my body and my brain
to the music from the land.
Plant your rows
straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
if you give her love and care.
Old crow watching
Hungrily
from his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
as that feathered thief up there.
The Farmer and his Seeds
To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell
The farmer plants the seeds, Stoop and pretend to plant seeds
The farmer plants the seeds
Hi, Ho, the dairy-o,
The farmer plants the seeds.
Additional verses:
| *The sun comes out to shine | Make a large circle with arms |
| *The rain begins to fall | Hands flutter up and down |
| *The seeds begin to grow | Stand up slowly |
| *The farmer cuts them down | Cutting motion |
| *He binds them into sheaves | Stand close together |
| *And now we'll have some bread. | Pretend to eat |
The Seed
to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
I'm a little planted seed
See the rain falling on me
Sun shines down through the trees
These are things I need indeed.
Oh, how happy they make me.
I'm a little growing seed.
My Garden
| This is my garden | Extend on hand forward, palm up |
| I'll rake it with care, | Make raking motion on palm with three fingers of other hand |
| And then some flower seeds | Plant motion |
| I'll plant in there. | |
| The sun will shine | Make circle with hands |
| And the rain will fall | Let fingers flutter down to lap |
| And my garden will blossom | Cup hands together; extend upward slowly |
| And grow straight and tall. |
Green Leaf
| Here's a green leaf | show hand |
| And here's a green leaf, | show other hand |
| That you see, makes two. | |
| Here is a bud | cup hands together |
| That makes a flower; | |
| Watch it bloom for you! | open cupped hands gradually |
Mister Carrot
| Nice mister carrot | |
| Makes curly hair, | hand on head |
| His head grows underneath the ground | bob head |
| His feet up in the air | raise feet |
| And early in the morning | |
| I find him in his bed | close eyes, lay head on hands |
| And give his feet a great big pull | stretch legs out |
| And out comes his head! |
Dig a little hole
| Dig a little hole. | Dig |
| Plant a little seed. | Drop seed |
| Pour a little water | Pour |
| Pull a little weed | Pull up and throw away |
| Chase a little bug | Chasing motion |
| Heigh-ho, there he goes! | Shade eyes |
| Give a little sunshine | Cup hands |
| Grow a little rose. | Smell flower, eyes closed, smiling |
Make a Garden
Suit actions to words
Dig! Dig! Dig! Rake just so
Plant the seeds, watch them grow
Chop! Chop! Chop! Pull out weeds
Warm rain and sun, my garden needs.
Up! Up! Up! Green stems climb.
Open wide, it's blossom time!
Relaxing Flowers
| Five little flowers | Hold up five fingers |
| Standing in the sun | |
| See their heads nodding | Make fingers nod |
| Bowing, one by one. | Make fingers bow |
| Down, down, down | |
| Falls the gentle rain, | Flutter fingers downward |
| And the five little flowers | |
| Lift up their heads again! | Hold up five fingers |
Little Seed in the Ground
| Little seed in the ground | Crouch down on the floor, hands covering heads |
| Sitting so still | Stay crouching |
| Little seed, will you sprout? | |
| Yes, I will! | Jump up. |
What Do You Suppose?
| What do you suppose? | |
| A bee sat on my nose! | Place finger on nose |
| Then what do you think? | |
| He gave me a great big wink, | Wink |
| and said, "I beg your pardon, | |
| I thought you were a garden!" |
I'll Plant A Little Seed
Sung to: "I'm A Little Teapot"
I'll plant a little seed in the dark, dark ground.
Out comes the yellow sun, big and round.
Down comes the cool rain, soft and slow.
Up comes the little seed, grow, grow, grow!
Parts of the plants
Sung 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.
I'm a Little Flower Pot
Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"
| I'm a little flower pot mom put out | point to self |
| If you take care of me, I will sprout. | nod head, point to self |
| When you water me, I will grow | make sprinkling motions with right hand |
| Into a pretty flower, don't you know! | raise left hand slowly up from floor, make wide circle with hands or arms |
Craft:
Potato Puppets
Give each child a potato shape cut out of brown construction paper. Have the children decorate their shapes with crayons or felt-tip markers. Let them add construction paper arms if desired. Attach popsicle sticks to the backs of their shapes to make potato puppets.
