Transform your science and math, reading and writing, imaginative play, and arts and crafts all through garden-based activities. The Garden Classroom offers a whole year of outdoors play and learning ideas, however big or small your outdoor space – and comes with a lovely, free gift.
Welcome to The Garden Classroom
Your garden, no matter its size, is an outdoor classroom waiting to be explored. The Garden Classroom is bursting with ideas you can use to make the most of the math, science, literacy, art and play waiting for you outdoors.
In this book I’ll show you:
:: how to get started with Let’s Grow! Garden Basics: my five favorite plants to grow with children, tips on growing plants from seed, how to make the most of your space and get the most flowers, fruit and vegetables from your plants. Plus a few projects to get you started having fun with what you grow.
:: fun ways to learn through Play & Imagination: how to make play spaces you can use all year round, ideas for equiping your garden to encourage den building and creative play with loose parts, fairy and dinosaur worlds for imaginary play, and suggestions for sensory play for each season of the year.
:: ideas that promote Reading & Writing outdoors: with suggestions for outdoor alphabet and spelling games, and ways to encourage storytelling, reading, and writing – through scientific reporting, journaling and creative writing.
:: projects to explore Science & Math: using the intrinsic opportunities of the outdoor world, and by introducing new materials and activities to boost learning. We’ll host a plant Olympics, study seeds and plant growth, play minibeast bingo, make a tree trunk geoboard and set up our own bug hotel.
:: beautiful Arts & Crafts projects inspired by the garden: ideas for painting, printing, paper crafting, using cement, sewing, finger knitting, land art and a fun twist on a traditional scarecrow.
:: Garden Recipes that celebrate the high point of the growing year: the garden harvest. Make a shared soup, a relish that’s great for using up a glut of summer produce, and ideas for making great use of herbs and edible flowers all year round.
This is your go-to book to give your children a connection with nature, full of creative ways to use the garden to inspire learning.
All the ideas have been tried, tested and approved by children. A few are more suited to preschoolers, some are better for older children, but the majority are adaptable to suit your child’s age, stage, and interests.
You can group ideas together if you’re homeschooling, planning a class project, or looking for ideas for a summer break, or you can dip into the book and try a different idea each week.
A free gift for you!
The book includes a free gift for everyone :: a gorgeous Garden Journal to use with your children.
A garden journal is a great way to bring literacy outside. Your children can each have their own journal, or make it a collaborative project. You can use it to record your planting and what’s growing, make sketches and include photos of the things you see in your garden, and at the end of the growing year you’ll have a beautiful record of all the fun and learning that happened in your garden classroom.
You’ll find lots of ideas in the book on how to make the most of your Garden Journal. Head through here to the Garden Journal pdf and print as many pages as you like, for as many children as you like.
How to get your copy of The Garden Classroom
You can get your copy of The Garden Classroom using these links:
Happy gardening!
I was wondering approximately how many pages the book is, how many weeks it would cover as a curriculum plan, and if it’s intended to be used strictly when the garden is in season outside or if there’s countertop gardening things also. Thank you!
Hi Jessica. The book is 222 pages in total. There’s a whole range of activities to cover all four seasons, so you could pick a selection and combine them into a block for a number of weeks (spring would be best?) or work on them throughout the year. The book is versatile, so you can plan your project to suit where you live and how you want to run your classroom.
Ohhhhh si great !!! We are just going to start our garden as we’ve moved in in our new home. My boys 5 and 3 areso excited!!! That book would be tgthe best!
I want these book for my special need preschollers please how I an by
Hi Alma. If you click on the links under the title ‘How to get your copy’ you can order the book – from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Roost, or look out for it in bookstores from April 7th onwards. Thanks for your interest!
Wow! What a wonderful book. I’m looking foward to it! 🙂
(What do you think about a Brazilian Portuguese translation of it?)
😀
Just wanted to say congrats Cathy, what a beautiful resource and one of my favourite topics. can’t wait until it is out and look forward to telling others about it. Again, congratulations on your first print book, you should be so proud!
wow! this looks amazing! congratulations, and good luck! I will definitely be purchasing a copy 🙂
I can not wait to get your book Cathy it looks great!
Looks fab, will I be able to order this on Amazon UK?
Thanks! And yes Helen, there’s a link above for Amazon UK, under the title ‘How to get your copy…’. Cathy
Thanks for sharing this wonderful book Cathy i have just pre-ordered it from amazon. As a childminder i am always looking at what to do and grow outside from spring. I only have a back yard but plenty of space for pots. Thanks x
i love following you on IG and have been brainstorming garden activities for my blog. Can’t wait for your book 🙂
Hi Katie. You’ll have to let me know what ideas you try. What kind of garden have you got?
Hi could you tell me when it will be available from Amazon UK? It says it is available to preorder but not when it will be available. Thank you!
Hi Cathy. Amazon UK is currently showing 7th May, but it’s possible it might be earlier than that. I’m trying to get a definite date from the distributor. Thanks for your interest! Cathy
Hi!
I read so much already about your new book The Garden Classroom and I am very eager to get in into my hands and my nose between the pages….Since we live in Germany I ordered it at Amazon.de…..unfortunately they seem not be able to give a delivery date any soon….Are there any other sources outside US to get the book? I would appreciate any way to get my hands on it soon, since finally the garden season opened and my kids and I are all into discovering, arts and crafts, anything which is connected to nature!
Thank you for your effort and best wishes!
Birgit
Hi Birgit. Amazon.de is listing suppliers who are shipping the book within 2-8 days. It’s also available at Amazon.co.uk, where a dispatch date of 22nd April is quoted, but I know people who have pre-ordered have already had their copy dispatched and have received them. Hope that helps, and thanks for your interest in the book. Do help yourself to the free Garden Journal (link above) while you wait! Cathy
Hello .
Looking to someday either home school or teach young children . An this book looks amazing can not wait to get my hands on this wonderful book
Thanks for sharing .
Is the book the same as the e book that came out last year?
Hi! I would like to know if there is an E-book. I am in Argentina!
looks lovely!! ♥
Hi mariela. Thanks for your interest. It’s currently only available as a print book. Cathy
Thank you , Thank you! You have made my day!
I have searched two days for a cute children’s garden journal. This one is perfect!
I couldn’t bear the thought of taking any more time to make my own.
I have saved this site to Favourites – will be back!
Kind Regards
Anne
Trying to start a classroom garden.
That’s fantastic Vanessa. It’s such a wonderful thing for children to have.
Looking forward to receiving your book. I’m hoping to share it forward with our community’s kids. I appreciate any and all ideas you have. We (the Marion Soil and Water Conservation District in Salem, Oregon) celebrate community gardens, conservation of our natural resources and encourage our friends and neighbors to do the right things to help protect our soils, our water and our natural resources (of which there are many here in Oregon). Thank you.
hi there,
I’m located in Canada and would love to purchase an ebook of this resource. is this possible? the shipping to canada is a little expensive.
Thank you so much
Tash
Hi Tash. This book is only available as a print book but you should be able to order it through your local bookstore to avoid shipping costs. Thanks for your interest, Cathy