Gardening through the year

I am a firm opponent of "busy work" projects for children.  One of the benefits of not sending my kids to school is that they never arrive home with an ugly pipe cleaner sculpture that I have to display on my desk, then throw away while they're not looking.  What's more, children don't like pointless activities either.  They want to do meaningful work, of genuine usefulness.

That is why I love these three books by Trina Davis: Sow and Grow, Look and Cook, and See and Sew.  All have the same format: some basic background information about their subject matter (gardening, cooking, sewing), adorable vintage illustrations, and basic projects that can be completed by a 4-7 year old with supervision, or 8-12 year old independently.  All supplies can easily be found on Amazon, or your local grocery, Joann's, or hardware store. 

Sow and Grow is helpfully organized into monthly projects, with seasonally-appropriate tasks.  Thus, in October, you can start forcing bulbs that will bloom in time for Christmas, and in February you can get your seeds started for eventual transplant.  These are things I want to do myself, but find hard to find the motivation.  However, if the kids get wind of a project they can actually take part it, voila, they will pester you until you do it with them (or they might even do it themselves!)

In Look and Cook, there are kid-cookbook staples like blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies, but also important basics like how to make rice or mashed potatoes.  It also teaches rules of kitchen safety and table setting.  See and Sew has cute projects like felt slippers or a baby bib, but is not above giving instructions on how to tie a knot or thread a needle.  Kids need these details spelled out, or else they get frustrated because they don't know where to start. 

This trio of books are perfect for a rainy day, or whenever you have a child who wants to do something helpful but doesn't know how.  Enjoy!

Rating: A-