Lending Library
Check out this ongoing list of books for gardening lesson plans, seasonal activities, ideas for curricular connections, and guidelines on how to start and sustain a youth garden. All items listed are available at our office at 2211 Washington Ave, St Louis, MO 63103-1521. Please make an appointment with Steve Eigsti at 314-588-9600 ext. 107 to come in, browse and borrow for a 3-week period and/or a 2 week renewal! Be sure to follow along our Teachers in the Garden blog for featured books and other new resources.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Early Sprouts by Karrie Kalich, Dottie Bauer, and Deirdre McPartlin. A research-based nutrition curriculum, where children will engage in sensory exploration and cooking activities that focus on six target vegetables—tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, Swiss chard, carrots, and butternut squash. Family Recipe Kits included so children can share and continue what they learn at home. Health, nutrition, vegetables, food preferences 2-5 years
Garden Adventures by Sarah Pounders. An activity guide centered on four core questions: What is a plant? Where do plants come from? How do we take care of plants? and Why are plants important? Complete with background information, a parent newsletter to promote family involvement, and hands-on activities. Plants, science, nutrition. early childhood
Roots, Shoots, Buckets, and Boots by Sharon Lovejoy. Imagine growing a pizza patch, a flowery maze, and a moon garden with your children. In this whimsical, storybook-like resource, Sharon Lovejoy shares her passion for connecting children to nature with simple garden activities, including crafts and “Discovery Walks” into the gardens. Planting, planning, caring for plants, crafts, recipes. early childhood
Sowing the Seeds of Wonder: Discovering the Garden in Early Childhood Education by Life Lab Science Program. Kids will dig into the soil, observe insects, birds, and other garden creatures, and harvest, cook, and taste fresh produce. Gardeing how-to’s, inspiring case studies, plant lists, as well as songs and stories provide educators with more ways to further enrich the outdoor learning experience. gardening, cooking, food, garden creatures. 2-5 years
ELEMENTARY-MIDDLE SCHOOL
Botany on Your Plate by Katharine D. Barrett, Jennifer M. White, Christine Manoux. A much-loved curriculum in scores of schools, this book is an investigative science unit that introduces the world of plants through foods we eat. Children explore edible roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds through observation, dissection, journaling, discussion of findings, and, of course, tasting. This unit supports standards in math, language arts, nutrition, and social studies, and includes background botany information for educators. Botany, gardening, cooking, nutrition, food. K-4
Bottle Biology, 2nd Edition by Wisconsin Fast Plants Program. Explore science and the environment with soda bottles and other recyclable materials in and out of the classroom! Whether you want to build a fermentation chamber to make and eat your own kimchee, grow a bottle cap garden, or build a bottle microscope exploring a mini ecosystem, these fun, imaginative, step-by-step experiments are full of surprises and will really get you to “discover a world in a bottle!” Science, biology, chemistry, ecology. K-college
Choice, Control, & Change* by Pamela A. Koch, Angela Calabrese Barton, and Isobel R. Contento. “How can we use scientific evidence to help us maintain energy balance?” Students will engage in hands-on activities that will explore our diets, the realities we face in our current food environment, and how our body maintains a dynamic equilibrium--taking in energy through food and expending it through exercise. With their newfound knowledge and skills, students can exert more control over food choices, and make healthier changes in their eating and physical activity behaviors.
science, health, nutrition, lifestyle. grades 6-8
Farm to Table & Beyond* by Pamela A. Koch, Angela Calabrese Barton, and Isobel R. Contento. “What is the system that gets food from farm to table, and how does this system affect the environment?” Students will explore and immerse themselves in the vastly interconnected, highly technological global food system that processes, packages, and transports our food from the farm to the dinner table. Science, technology, society. grades 5-6
First Peas to the Table by Susan Grigsby and Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Every spring, Thomas Jefferson hosted a pea-growing competition with his neighbors. The first person to bring a bowl of peas to the table wins! The First Peas to the Table, by local St. Louis Author Susan Grigsby, tells a wonderful little story about an inspired pea-growing contest that takes place in Maya’s school garden. Follow along Nicole Tadgel’s beautiful and accurate watercolors, learn about history and plant science, and find out whose peas will be ready first! grades 1-4
The Growing Classroom—Garden-Based Science by Roberta Jaffe and Gary Appel. The main advantage of this book is the volume of thematically organized activities that it contains. Students will be able to learn about the soil, life cycles, garden creatures, and food in a variety of ways. Photographs and case studies provide context and inspiration and an extensive appendix offers how-to’s, planting schedules, and student worksheets. science, gardening, garden ecology, food, nutrition. grades 2-6
Growing Food* by Pamela A. Koch, Angela Calabrese Barton, and Isobel R. Contento. “How does nature provide us with food?” As food scientists, students will investigate how nature provides us with food with plants, the main components of food webs, and how humans produce and make their own food with agriculture. They will learn more about human reliance on ecosystems, understand the impact human activity has on the environment, and become more informed, responsible citizens who will make wiser decisions for a sustainable future. Science, food systems and production, natural cycles, flow of energy, agriculture. grades 4-6
In the Garden with Dr. Carver by Susan Grigsby and Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. In this historical fiction, Sally and her classmates meet the famous and inventive plant scientist George Washington Carver. While cotton, the “hungry monster,” has devoured the soil’s nutrients in Alabama, Dr. Carver teaches the children how to heal the soil to grow healthy food again. Be inspired to “listen to the plants,” and give them what they need! Grades 2-4
Learning Through the Environment by Marion Zampa, Becky Lewis, Maureen Beaudet. Complete with curriculum correlations, supplemental and outside resource lists, charts, and illustrations. Lessons incorporate and apply the National and State Science Standards in science, math, language arts, social studies and the fine arts. This book will be useful for educators who need ready-to-go worksheets. butterfly conservation, gardening, habitats, weather, soil conservation. K-6
Math in the Garden by Jennifer M. White, Katharine D. Barret, Jaine Kopp
With this colorfully-illustrated, well-organized compilation of lesson plans, students will engagingly learn and apply a variety of math skills in the garden, or in the classroom using plant materials. Have students calculate the ratio of shoots and roots, or let them study various geometric shapes as they slice their fruit and vegetable snacks! Units include number, operations, algebra, measurement, geometry and pattern, and data analysis. Mathematics, science, journaling. ages 5-13
Math on the Menu by Jaine Kopp with Denise Davila. With an emphasis on combinations, data organization, and statistics, this math unit engages students to help the Rosada family launch their new restaurant business. Students will help plan the menu by exploring food combinations, performing cost analyses, and setting prices on menu options. They will also practice measurement, spatial analysis, and geometry as they help the Rosadas design a new space for their restaurant. Complete with easy-to-follow directions, journal entry assignments, and activity extensions, this unit is most unique and useful for enabling kids to practice math in a real-world, multicultural context. Mathematics, journaling, culture, food. Grades 3-5
Project Seasons by Deborah Parrella. Contains over 100 activities for fall, winter, spring, and summer, in order to foster an awareness and appreciation for natural resources and agriculture. Grade level, prep time, and run time information accompany each activity. Unique activities like butter-making, paper-making, and maple-sugaring may require substantial prep times and hard-to-reach materials. Nature, agriculture, seasons. K-5
Seeds of Change: Learning from the Garden by Judy Mannes and Marsha Rehns. As children plan, cultivate, and harvest food from the garden, they will interact and learn to respect each other and nature. Growing, cooking, and eating activities will provide opportunities for them to understand each other’s similarities and differences—celebrating a rich cultural exchange. Food, social studies, culture. Grades 3-8
Terrarium Habitats by Jacqueline Barber. Students will explore soil, build a terrarium habitat, and investigate what happens when they add earthworms, isopods, flowers, twigs, rocks and leftover food! This teacher’s guide enables kids to bring the outdoor environment into the classroom and learn about habitats in a fun way. Terrarium, soil, worms K-6
*LIFE Series (Linking Food and the Environment) aims to promote “scientific habits of mind through inquiry-based activities that integrate the study of food, food systems, and environmental and personal health.” Each book focuses on a single driving question, which is then broken down into several other key questions that make up the units. These books teach students to use a five-phase learning cycle called QuESTA (questioning, experimenting, searching, theorizing, and applying to life).
HIGH SCHOOL
Cultural Uses of Plants by Gabriell DeBear Paye. Why learn about plants?Cultural Uses of Plants challenges middle and high school students to design and conduct their own research and experiments on a useful plant from their own cultures. Students will learn how to test plants for their nutritional value, medicinal and other unique uses, and ecological and cultural significance. Ethnobotany, culture, social studies, science, research. middle and high school
French Fries and the Food System by Sara Coblyn. This book offers a year-round curriculum, organized by season and designed specifically for teaching youth about agriculture and empowering them to improve our food system. Engaging debates, explorations, and games will challenge students to think more deeply and critically about various agricultural and food issues. While the curriculum is heavily farm-based, some activity extensions allow educators to easily adapt each lesson plan into different classroom settings. food, farming, social implications; empowering teenagers in our food system. 14-16 yrs
STARTING A SCHOOL GARDEN
Asphalt to Ecosystems by Sharon Gamson Danks. A comprehensive resource for teachers, parents, environmentalists, and designers on how to design and build creative, ecological schoolyards. Learn how to effectively integrate water systems, edible landscapes, site-sensitive materials, teaching resources, play structures, outdoor furniture, and art into your schoolyard to create engaging and memorable outdoor learning spaces. Ecological design, outdoor learning. Grades K-12
How to Grow a School Garden—A Complete Guide for Parents and Teachers by Arden Bucklin-Sporer and Rachel Kathleen Pringle. A strong resource for educating parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders on how to start, fund, plant, and sustain a school garden to effectively reconnect students to the natural world. Planning and design strategies, detailed seasonal lesson plans, photos, and kid-friendly recipes will help establish the organizing principles for any school garden and provide guidance on how to develop a garden curriculum that can correlate with the classroom curriculum. school garden planning, curriculum development, community development, health, nutrition. Grades K-8
Schoolyard Mosaics by Eve Pranis and Amy Gifford. A good resource for teachers in the garden planning or pre-planning phases. It begins with a concise but informative section on the schoolyard garden planning process written specifically for teachers. The majority of the 56 page book is then short profiles of existing school gardens complete with illustrations and design intent. Without going into great detail, Schoolyard Mosaics covers a wide range of possible designs. Use this book as a starting point and be sure to look at the resource lists in the back.
Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability by Michael K. Stone/Center for Ecoliteracy. Documents a movement of educators, parents, and students who are reinventing K-12 education for the environmental challenges of the future through inspiring success stories of schools throughout the nation. These stories offer valuable lessons and exciting ways on how to have transform the school food system, sustainably design school campuses and buildings, and engage students beyond schools grounds and into the community. Education, sustainability, nature. Grades K-12
WORMS
Commercial Vermiculture: How to Build a Thriving Business in Redworms by Peter Bogdanov. This book was written in order to answer a simple question: Is there a way to make money raising earthworms? The answer is an unquestionable and emphatic Yes! And you will be shown, step-by-step, how to raise and market worms and other products as well.
Earthworms Unlimited by Amy Brown. This book provides practical information for those who want to try their hand at raising and breeding earthworms. From tips on planning your project to basic equipment, storage and harvesting, it provides a complete overview of the essentials of backyard earthworm farming. And for those who want to make money, it shows how worm farming can be a profitable venture.
Harnessing the Earthworm by Thomas J. Barrett. A practical inquiry into soil-building, soil conditioning, and plant nutrition through the action of earthworms, with instructions for intensive propagation and use of domesticated earthworms in biological soil-building.
What Every Gardener Should Know About Earthworms by Dr. Henry Hopp. A comprehensive guide to earthworms and the benefits of having them in the garden. This book can be read in 20-30 minutes, allowing you to master the subject quickly.
The Wonderful World of Wigglers by Julia Hand. Through the adventures- and misadventures- of Wilma Worm and her family, children discover the rich and intricate life of worms and the world in which they live. Earthworms become more than fish bait; they become recyclers, humidifiers, plowers, and air-conditioners – all rolled into one! Filled with integrated hands-on, hearts-on activities and projects, this book will challenge children to solve real-life problems through critical and creative thinking, and explore the amazing world of earthworms.
Worms Eat Our Garbage by Mary Appelhof, Mary Frances Fenton, Barbara Loss Harris. This unique curriculum for home, school, and outdoor centers brings the fascinating subject, earthworms, to the educational setting in an exciting and informative manner. It emphasizes worms—habitat, needs, physical description, and relationship to other living things—without harming them. This book embraces a cross-curricular approach and provides worksheets and games. Grades 4-8
NATURE
Theme Studies: Butterflies Abound! by Seddon Beaty, Kelly and Irene Fountas. Based on the belief that children learn best when they are actively engaged with meaningful material, this guide offers varied learning experiences in curriculum areas such as science, language arts, math, social studies, art, and music. The thematic approach to learning in Butterflies Abound! offers children of all ability levels the opportunity to explore and find joy in the world of butterflies.
Take a City Nature Walk by Jane Kirkland. Nature is all around! Learn all about urban ecology as you develop skills for finding and identifying a variety of plants and animals in the city. Complete with helpful vocabulary, inspirational quotes, and vivid photos of all the creatures one can identify in North American cities. Cities, ecology, wildlife, gardens, parks. All ages
REFERENCE
Beyond the Science Fair by Wendy Saul, Donna Dieckman, Charles Pearce, and Donna Neutze. A how-to manual for organizing and hosting a Kids’ Inquiry Conference that’s linked to your curricular planning and goals. Beginning with a snapshot of a KIC developed by the authors, Beyond the Science Fair guides you through the specifics of organizing and hosting the conference in your classroom, school, or district, with tips and examples. This book also includes curricular resources. Science and literacy standards, inquiry-based learning. elementary-middle
National Science Education Standards by the National Research Council. This is an effort that reflects the contributions of thousands of teachers, scientists, science educators, and other experts across the country. This book offers a coherent vision of what it means to be scientifically literate, describing what students of various backgrounds should understand and be able to do at different grade levels in various science categories. Grades K-12
Teacher Resource Guide 2007 by Literacy for Life. A comprehensive list of educational materials about agriculture. Includes programs and services provided by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, educational resources, and additional agricultural facts and information.
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