The Garden Classroom: 52 Kids Gardening Activities e-book appeared at just the right time for us. One morning I discovered our Grow Your Own Potato school kit would not be sent to us until next year and that our plans for the summer gardening experiments would not work as planned. That same afternoon this book arrived in my email. It must be what we are meant to do this year. And so much more than just potatoes, too!

We started learning new things even before the book began counting the activities. Do you know how to make an awesome up-cycled watering can for children using something very common in the home? Now I do; this shortens my list of things to buy for the children (and saves money to boot!) because theirs blew away last summer.
Within the pages of this book are ideas for making interesting and beautiful planters. Tips for making a garden even in the smallest of spaces. Ideas for recycled seedling planters, and some of them are biodegradable! There are suggestions for making your garden bird and bug friendly.
This book is easy to read, and the ideas easily implemented. Many activities use things you already have around the home. Why not give these things a new purpose on earth? It beats ‘junk’ cluttering up the attic, shed, or garage. You can turn ordinary things into beautiful works of art.

It’s good for kids to see the process of where food comes from, the work involved, and how it gets from the seed to the table. There are both growing processes that will give quick results, as well as others that help children to learn about patience and delayed gratification. The transportable lawn is a fun idea for those small spaces, and yet it has so many fun uses.
There are some cute ideas that would work very well with nursery schools, day cares, child minders and babysitters. I know that as a mother to two young children in addition to being a Childminder, I am always looking for activities that they can all participate in. Some of these projects can be left permanently on your own property, while others can be sent home with the children for continued use or as a gift for Mother’s or Father’s Day. Last year we made these painted flowerpots; there is a similar project within the pages of this book.

These aren’t just ‘fun’ activities, they are also great opportunities for children to learn about science without realizing it. Throw in a little art and design, and some journaling skills for the older kids, and you can cover a lot of ‘school’ while pottering about in your garden!
There are lots of clear, colourful photos in The Garden Classroom that will help give inspiration to parents/carers like me who are not known to have a green thumb. And step-by-step instructions to guide us along the way, we can learn and have fun with the children. Who knows, maybe we’ll find a new skill we didn’t know we have?
I’m looking forward to trying out these projects with our family. This book gives us lots of ideas for least the next six months of this year, and plenty to spare for the future, too! I would recommend The Garden Classroom to anyone young at heart and looking to add some creativity into their gardens. As an added bonus you and your children can learn along the way as well!
To purchase your own copy of The Garden Classroom: 52 kids gardening activities, please use the affiliate picture link below or on my side bar.

When you get your copy, please let me know what you think, and share with us the activities you are doing, I’d love to hear about them!
I have received a free download of The Garden Classroom in exchange for my honest opinion.
Tina says
I love it when things work out that way – one thing falls through and the next one shows up in your email! So cool!
Thanks for sharing this with Booknificent Thursday last week. It looks like a very useful book! Hope to see you again this week!
Tina
Crystal McClean says
Life is funny that way sometimes, isn’t it? We must remember to appreciate when things happen and not take them for granted. Have a great weekend!
Reshama says
That sounds like a fun project. Learning hands on is the best way to learn. And the photographs really do help.Thanks for the wonderful review.
-Resh @StackingBooks.com
Crystal McClean says
We’ve only touched the surface of this book this year; we’ll be planning ahead for next year; but there are so many ideas, the book will come out for years 🙂 And the photos help preserve our memories.
Cathy @ NurtureStore says
Thank you so much for your lovely review! I’m so pleased you enjoyed the ideas in the book and really appreciate you sharing it with your readers. Happy gardening!!
crystalmcclean says
It really was a very interesting read 🙂 There are so many easy and fantastic ideas contained within it, it’ll keep us going if this cold snap ever lifts (and if not, we’ll just make cress heads instead)!
MeetingTheKeatings says
this looks great, do you think it’s too advanced for a 3 year old? or are there a good amount of projects that she would enjoy? Thank you for sharing 🙂
crystalmcclean says
My daughter will be 3 in May, and there are definitely LOTS of activities she’ll be able to do. As your wee one gets older, you can add on to the activities so that you can do them again and again each year a little bit differently. There are some activities that are for ones a little older, but that just means you’ll get better value from this book by being able to return to it again and again! There are foods, art, crafts, gardening, decor, some easy math and science for beginners also. I must say, I have been well-impressed with the thought that has gone into this ebook 🙂
Tulip says
I love the idea of learning and growing from working in the garden. We have a raised bed for each of our daughters. They love watering, weeding, and picking the fruits of their labor. Thanks for sharing this great resource!
crystalmcclean says
Way to go! It’s a great way to make memories together! I remember having my own little garden many years ago…it wasn’t very successful, but it was fun! Thankfully my husband and children have better success 🙂
Sarah @ My Joy-Filled Life says
This looks like a great resource to go along with our Botany studies! Thanks for sharing!
crystalmcclean says
It contains a wide variety of ideas and will work with a wide range of ages. Enjoy!