Background

Science and math are the most common subjects taught in the garden context because it lends itself to scientific inquiry and provides opportunities to practice basic mathematical functions. But the garden can as easily be a tool for literature lessons, allowing kids to use their imaginations to create three-dimensional experiences from two-dimensional text. The words come to life when a garden activity accompanies the lesson. Here are a few suggestions for combining garden and reading activities:

Act out a story. As a class, read a book with a garden storyline. Link the book to the garden by performing the same tasks as the book's characters or growing the same plants mentioned in the book. The Junior Master Gardener Program and the American Horticultural Society have created an excellent list of plant-, garden- and ecology-themed fiction for children through their Growing Good Kids - Excellence in Children's Literature Awards Program. You can also check out our favorite fiction books.

Design your own story garden. Design a garden around the theme of a book. Many a school has launched into gardening thanks to Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, planting the vegetables mentioned in the book and populating their plot with rabbit statues. Who knows, you might even end up with a real, live bunny (and learn how farmer McGregor felt)! Others, after reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, have been inspired to create their own cozy green hideaways. High school students may design a Shakespeare garden around the plants mentioned in his various plays and poetry.

Get to know fiction and facts. Fiction whets kids’ interest in reading, making it easier to segue into nonfiction and instructional reading. One effective way to encourage students is to have them brainstorm questions they have about their garden and then use garden resource books to find the answers (tell them it’s a scavenger hunt!). This way, students can become comfortable with reference books as a source of factual information, which they can use to create planting guides, compose brochures describing their garden, and plant new garden areas.

Read to grow awareness. Participate in Heifer International’s Read to Feed program to raise money for sustainable hunger relief around the world. It's a great way to introduce the issues of hunger and food security to your students, as well as to enhance geography and cultural studies. You can also raise fruits and vegetables to donate to local food banks and or charities through the Plant a Row for the Hungry Program.

Discover every gardener's favorite reading material. Collect seed and nursery catalogs to distribute to students. (Local gardeners usually have a healthy supply of them to donate, or students can write to seed companies asking for donations for your activity.) Ask students to find specific information about certain plants using the catalogs. They can learn how to use an index and also how to scan pages for details.

Relax and read in the garden. The garden provides a relaxing and inspiring environment, especially for students uncomfortable in the traditional classroom setting. Read books and poems while sitting in the garden to associate the activity of reading with a comforting atmosphere.

Learn from your peers. Check out these Kidsgardening.com links for more ideas, many from teachers who have succeeded in linking gardens and literacy:

Garden Tales: Growing Literature Connections

Legends and Lore: Plant Stories Revealed

Garden-Based Literature: Early Primary

Digging Deeper with Literacy Connections

Linking Literacy and Garden Creatures

Growing Poems

Making Field Journals

Cultivating Writers: Inspiring Plant Stories

 

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