I know it's still winter according to the calendar.
Yet, when the temperature reaches past 60 degrees and the tulips have pushed up several inches tall already, it's a little hard not to think of spring.
As difficult as it can be for adults to wait for things, it is even more so for young children.
And then it's spring, by Julie Fogliano, is a lovely book about waiting for a garden to grow.
The softly colored illustrations are by Erin E. Stead, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal Award for A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The woodblock and pencil technique compliment the quite tone of the story as a young child waits with a little worry and a little hope. "All around you have brown" changes to "all around you have green" and then it's spring.
Gardening Extension Idea:
While it's too early to begin gardening outside, you can still experience the wonder of sprouting seeds inside. Opening the window to what happens to a seed underground is fascinating and this experience only takes a few days to keep the waiting short.
Materials:
plastic sandwich bags, lima beans (their size make them a good choice), cotton balls, tape, water and a sunny window.
Procedure:
Give each child a small cup of water and a cotton ball.
Have them place the cotton ball in the water to get it very wet.
Gently squeeze out some of the water and then place the lima bean on the cotton ball.
Carefully place it into the sandwich bag, placing it towards a bottom corner.
Close the bag tightly and tape it to a sunny window.
Check on the bag each day and watch the bean break open with roots and a sprout forming.
Once your sprout has a couple leaves, take it out of the bag and place into a small container with potting soil.
When it really is spring, you can transplant it outside!
Yet, when the temperature reaches past 60 degrees and the tulips have pushed up several inches tall already, it's a little hard not to think of spring.
As difficult as it can be for adults to wait for things, it is even more so for young children.
And then it's spring, by Julie Fogliano, is a lovely book about waiting for a garden to grow.
The softly colored illustrations are by Erin E. Stead, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Medal Award for A Sick Day for Amos McGee. The woodblock and pencil technique compliment the quite tone of the story as a young child waits with a little worry and a little hope. "All around you have brown" changes to "all around you have green" and then it's spring.
Gardening Extension Idea:
While it's too early to begin gardening outside, you can still experience the wonder of sprouting seeds inside. Opening the window to what happens to a seed underground is fascinating and this experience only takes a few days to keep the waiting short.
Materials:
plastic sandwich bags, lima beans (their size make them a good choice), cotton balls, tape, water and a sunny window.
Procedure:
Give each child a small cup of water and a cotton ball.
Have them place the cotton ball in the water to get it very wet.
Gently squeeze out some of the water and then place the lima bean on the cotton ball.
Carefully place it into the sandwich bag, placing it towards a bottom corner.
Close the bag tightly and tape it to a sunny window.
Check on the bag each day and watch the bean break open with roots and a sprout forming.
Once your sprout has a couple leaves, take it out of the bag and place into a small container with potting soil.
When it really is spring, you can transplant it outside!
