Spring is natures way of saying, “Let’s Party!”

Robin Williams

If you want to DIG IN to learn more about gardening – the book below will get you on your way! Planting is fun! Your garden can be as big as your backyard or as tiny as a flower pot! Will it have veggies, flowers -cati? Would it have a fountain or homes for toads or fairies? The options are vast as your imagination!

Jump into something comfy, pull up your sleeves and get started!

• Container gardening for kids / Ellen Talmage ; photographed by Bruce Curtis Try any of these 25 projects using things from around the house. Growing plants in a container is a great way for kids to make their own garden — without needing a lot of space. Make an herbal collar for your pet that will keep bugs away while smelling great. Create your own backyard monster with plastic soda-can holders, a broom, pipe cleaners, and a few more odds & ends. Growing plants has never been more fun and, with containers, any kid can have a garden

• Starting gardening / Sue Johnson and Cheryl Evans ; illustrated by Teri Gower ; photographs by Howard Allman Starting Gardening is an inspiring and practical introduction to growing and caring for plants and flowers. It covers everything from the tools you’ll need to taking cuttings and planting bulbs. There are lots of projects to try both outdoors and in, including flower pressing and making bottle and herb knot gardens. There are also descriptions of fun and informative gardening websites to visit.

• Super simple butterfly gardens : a kid’s guide to gardening / Alex Kuskowski Create a garden full of flowers and butterflies! Get started planing one in your backyard. Pick plants butterflies love. make a drinking fountain for them to rest. This book will help you learn how. Grow something fantastic

• Touch a butterfly : wildlife gardening with kids / April Pulley Sayre Creating a garden that invites wildlife opens up a wider world of nature for investigation, inspiration, and delight. Begin to see your yard from an animal’s perspective; discover plants that attract colorful birds and bugs; embrace sensory experiences that native plants and creatures bring; and understand how your yard fits into the surrounding landscape. Along the way you will discover simple ways you can actively support wildlife in your immediate environment, no matter where you live. This family-friendly guide to wildlife gardening leads you on a path to discovery, where trees are transformed into bird and animal habitats, where sunny spots are revered for dragonfly viewing, and where your entire garden becomes an animal-welcoming kingdom

• Super simple fairy gardens : a kid’s guide to gardening / Alex Kuskowski Make a margical garden! Plant a fairy garden in you backyard. Grow enchanting plants. Set up fairy houses and furniture. This book will help you learn how. Make a whimsical and unique fairy garden. Dig into the world of gardening!

• Plant, cook, eat! : a children’s cookbook / by Joe Archer & Caroline Craig PLANT a colorful vegetable garden-in patio containers, window boxes, a backyard, or a community garden. COOK your hearty harvest with easy, step-by-step recipies. EAT delicious, homegrown masterpieces-from begetable burgers to zucchini fries to chocolate beet cake!

• Cool stuff for your garden / Pam Scheunemann This fun book gives lots of ideas for projects to make for a garden or yard using a wide variety of materials. It will inspire creativity and make being outside all that more enjoyable. The projects range from making a Zen garden to a beaded wind chime to a double-decker birdbath and beyond! There’s sure to be something that will interest all types of kids. Not only will they learn new craft techniques, they’ll be able to experience the joy of giving handmade gifts! Step-by-step instructions and photographs make the projects easy to follow

• A beginner’s guide to succulent gardening [electronic resource] / Taku Furuya Adored for their charming shapes and colors, respected for their resilience and adaptability, and just plain fun to have around–succulents are the hottest home gardening trend today. This book contains all sorts of helpful tips on what to look for when buying a plant, how to troubleshoot when your succulent shows signs of distress, how to trim the leaves and stems, and how to start new plants from cuttings. Clear diagrams and at-a-glance fact sheets for each variety, as well as inspirational photos of attractively and happily-housed succulents, fill the pages of this book.

• Easy peasy : gardening for kids / [written by Kirsten Bradley ; illustrated by Aitch] Gardening can be a lot of fun for kids! Easy Peasy is packed full of inspiring and simple activities for every curious young gardener, whether you have a backyard, a balcony, or a windowsill. You can experience the wonders of nature by planting a seed and watching it grow into a flower, by picking delicious fresh berries in the summer or making a bird feeder to help hungry small birds in the spring. Why not make a terrarium in a jar for your bedroom or keep a wildlife diary and observe the beauty of nature up close and personal? Wherever you live and no matter what time of year, Easy Peasy invites you to dig your hands into the dirt and explore the world around

• Gardening lab for kids : 52 fun experiments to learn, grow, harvest, make, play, and enjoy your garden / Renata Fossen Brown Author Renata Fossen Brown guides your family through fun activities that are also lessons about botany, ecology, the seasons, food, patience, insects, eating, and cooking. Have fun exploring: pollinators by making a pollinator palace out of bricks, sticks, twigs, bamboo, and pegboard/ the basic elements of soil—sand, silt, and clay—by testing how well your soil drains with just a shovel, water, ruler, and timer./color theory by creating a table top color wheel from different colored annuals./native birds by making a bird feeder from an old picture frame and piece of screen. Gardening Lab for Kids is the perfect book for creative families, friends, and community groups and works as lesson plans for both experienced and new gardeners. Children of all ages and experience levels can be guided by adults and will enjoy these engaging exercises. So, slip on your muddy clothes, and get out and grow!

• Compost : a family guide to making soil from scraps / Ben Raskin Teach your kids that composting is fun with this funky guide that takes you from the nitty-gritty of compost composition and care to Worms and Ladders, a fresh take on a traditional board game. Find out the rules for setting up your very own Worm Lovers’ Society, learn all about the garden-to-plate cycle together, and get your family’s feet firmly set on the road to a planet-friendly lifestyle. Includes information on both kitchen and garden composting