Roots Shoots Buckets and Boots Gardening Together with Children

Roots Shoots Buckets and Boots Gardening Together with Children

Plant a pumpkinseed with a child, and cultivate wonder. This simple act of reconnecting with children with nature is Sharon Lovejoy’s purpose and joy and gift. Author of Sunflower Houses: Garden Discoveries for Children of All Ages and Hollyhock Days: Garden Adventures for the Young at Heart, Sharon Lovejoy is a nationally known garden writer whose books, television specials, and projects at her learning landscape in California have introduced thousands of children to the pleasures of gardening.

In her newest book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, she presents 12 spirited, easy-to-implement ideas for theme gardens that parents and kids can grow together. Illustrated throughout by the author’s own lyrical watercolors, each garden includes a plan, the planting recipe - seeds, seedlings, and growing instructions spelled out step-by-step - and activities. There’s the Pizza Patch , a giant-size wheel garden planted in “slices” of tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil. A Flowery Maze to get lost in. A Moon Garden of night-blooming flowers, including a moonflower tent. And Mother Nature’s Medicine Chest.

Discovery Walks teach kids how the gardens work, and a chapter on gardening basics includes a child-friendly 10-Minute Plan for planting and maintenance, plus a list of the top 20 plants guaranteed to make gardeners out of kids.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Gardening — an act of faith in the planet

Nothing takes the sting out of winter like planning a garden. And if you have children, or have the prospect of rounding up a few on loan when spring comes, this book will warm you all the way through. Author Sharon Lovejoy (Sunflower Houses : Inspiration from the Garden - A Book for Children and Their Grown-Ups and Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener) gave us a treasure trove of ideas for good “clean” fun in her 1991 classic, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children (Gardening together with children).

Lovejoy gives detailed directions for a number of garden projects that kids are sure to love, from a Pizza Patch to a Sunflower House to a Flowery Maze. While her garden is in California, I think most of her planting suggestions would work in my colder zone. She weaves in snippets of poetry, folklore, mythology, and of course some basic botany and horticulture. Pure magic! What child could resist a mini-garden planted in an old boot or glove? or the scarecrow and worm box projects? or Mother Nature’s Tea Party? Nature-based crafts and activities abound. Children are too often alienated from the wonders of nature — and doesn’t the future of the planet depend on their connection with its simple bounty?

Do choose your plants carefully to avoid toxic elements, and supervise in accordance with the youngsters’ ages. And if you live in the Southern hemisphere, remember that when you stand in your garden at noon the shadows point south, not north. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or a novice, all you need to know is here in Lovejoy’s charmingly illustrated, jam-packed book. Recommended if you want to unleash your creativity and delight a child — or yourself. I’ve been reacquainting myself with this old friend because it’s on my Christmas list for the nieces and nephews. Five stars and highly recommended.

Linda Bulger, 2008

5 Stars What a great book!
This is a book packed with ideas for teaching children to love the garden and nature surrounding it. If you love to garden and would love to share it with the children in your life, this is the book! This book can make a garden come alive for children and the place to be. It has very doable ideas for numerous themed children’s gardens. This is a must have book. I am going to buy several more copies to give to my very best gardening friends.

5 Stars Excellent Gardening Book for Kids and Parents Alike
This book is easy to follow, has all the info you need and is FULL of creative and fun gardening ideas. My 6 y.o. and I had a blast with this book!

5 Stars Great book for Gardening with Kids
Again a great book for gardening with kids. For example a sunflower house, pizza garden, a garden of giants, and a water garden. The neat thing is that you spend time gardening with your children and the kids get to enjoy playing in what they have grown.

5 Stars Kids can garden too
This is an excellent book for 3-10 year old children who show an interesting in gardening. It will motivate them to explore gardening and to enjoy it!

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