YOUTUBE VIDEO: PLANTING A SCHOOL GARDEN and SPROUTING BEANS IN A CUP

Planting a Garden in Room 6: From Seeds to Salad is a book for primary age children about a kindergarten class growing vegetables in a school garden. In this short YouTube video we see them preparing the soil and planting seeds. When the vegetables are ripe the children will make a delicious salad. While they wait for the plants to grow, they sprout beans in cups, watching the roots and stems emerge from lima beans.

Click to watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRBqpaBYWPU

Learn more about Planting a Garden in Room 6 at my website. You can find the book online, at bookstores, and in your library. Beginning on March 15, 2024, Planting a Garden in Room 6 will be available in paperback, along with my other Room 6 books--Hatching Chicks in Room 6 and Butterflies in Room 6. 

NETGALLEY REVIEWS of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6

I recently discovered a whole list of great reviews for my book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 on NetGalley. NetGalley is a site that provides galleys of books to review in advance of publication. (Once the book is published the galleys are no longer available.) Every reviewer gave the book five stars! Thank you!

Here's an example of one of the reviews.

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2022
What an excellent introduction to gardening for young children! The book follows a kindergarten class as they plant a vegetable garden. Each step is recorded in vivid, detailed photographs that bring the subject to life. Kids will not only be fascinated by everything they learn about plants and natural science as they follow along, but they also will be engaged by following students just like themselves through the process.

The language is clear and simple and basic concepts of plant growth are explained in accessible manner. There is a simple Q&A section about gardening at the end, along with a glossary of terms. This would be an excellent introduction to a classroom unit on plants and gardening or to inspire kids to try a gardening project at home.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review! 

Jacket back of Planting a Garden in Room 6

 

REVIEW OF PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 at THE NONFICTION DETECTIVES

I was delighted to discover PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad reviewed on THE NONFICTION DETECTIVES, the excellent blog by librarians Cathy Potter and Louise Capizzo. It posted on April 22, 2022, Earth Day! Thank you for helping to spread the word about my new book!

Here is the review:

Planting a Garden in Room 6: From Seeds to Salad

Written and photographed by Caroline Arnold

Charlesbridge. 2022

Another addition in Arnold’s Life Cycles in Room 6 series, has this kindergarten class planting a garden. In beautiful, colored photos we follow this special teacher as she shares her love of science with her students.

This year, Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Best, has brought some lettuce, kale, radish, spinach, carrots, and pea sees for student to plant in their classroom garden. Readers follow students as they discover each plant has it own kind of seed, preparing the soil to watching the seeds emerge. As they learn about helpful insects, weeding, and garden care the best part comes at harvest time when they can all enjoy the fruits of their labor with a yummy salad. 

The book includes garden vocabulary, garden questions, online sources and suggestions for further reading. *The fun part is learning that the chickens pictures in this book are the ones hatched in Arnold’s book, Hatching Chicks in Room 6. I wish I had a Mrs. Best as my Kindergarten teacher.

Visit the author's website for more information on her books. 

 

CELEBRATING PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6 at HAYNES SCHOOL, Los Angeles, CA

Caroline with Jennifer Best, Haynes Center for Enriched Studies, Los Angeles, CA

Monday was the Big Day, celebrating the publication of PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad with Mrs. Best and the children in her 2019-2020 kindergarten class at Haynes School in Los Angeles, who are pictured in the book. The kids are now in second grade! At a special program in the school auditorium (my first in person school event in two years!) with all the second graders and Mrs. Best's current kindergarten class, I presented Mrs. Best with a hat and mug along with her book.

Then I presented each child from Mrs. Best's class with their own autographed book. It was wonderful to see the happy looks on their faces!  For the occasion I wore my new vegetable t-shirt!

My book Wiggle and Waggle is the perfect companion book for Planting a Garden in Room 6

Before presenting the books I did a short author talk (which included singing the Wiggle and Waggle song with my sock puppets) and read the book. The kids then had a chance to ask questions and make comments before the book presentation.  My favorite: "The vegetables we grew are my favorite vegetables to eat!"

I was surprised to see how much the kids had grown. Some are almost as tall as I am!
I am so glad that the book is finally out and I am able to promote it. Thank you Mrs. Best and all the students for sharing your gardening experience with me and being part of the book. And a special thanks to Barbara Meade, the school principal for your support and enthusiasm for the project!

PUBLICATION DAY! PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad

Happy Book Birthday! Hooray! Today is the publication day for my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad (Charlesbridge, 2022), the third book in my Life Cycles in Room 6 series. With many thanks to my editor, Alyssa Pusey, for guiding another book through the editing and publication process and helping me to hone my text, and to Cathleen Schaad for her brilliant design of the book. And many, many thanks to Jennifer Best for welcoming me into her classroom and working with me on yet another Room 6 book, to the children and their families for their cooperation and enthusiasm for this book, and to Mrs. Meade, principal of Haynes Charter for Enriched Studies, for her support of the project.

Caroline and Jennifer Best

It has been a long two years since the children in Mrs. Best's kindergarten class planted their school garden. They are now in second grade. We are planning a party soon to celebrate the book. I look forward to presenting each of them of a signed copy.

Miniature Model Garden: Perfect Companion for my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6

Depiction of Farmer McGregor's garden in the Tale of Peter Rabbit

A miniature garden featuring a scene from the Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter is a treasured gift from my daughter Jennifer.  She made the ground and garden plants from art clay, baking it to make it hard. The fence is made of craft sticks. The figures of Peter and his family—Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail—and of Farmer McGregor were purchased on the internet, as were the tiny garden tools.

The miniature garden is a delightful reminder of my real garden outdoors and working with Mrs. Best and her students on my new book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6: From Seeds to Salad. The book will be published in two months, on March 15. I look forward to sharing my miniature Peter Rabbit’s garden with students and teachers as I promote the book after it is published.

Jennifer was inspired to make the miniature garden after our visit to the Flowering Bridge in Lake Lure, North Carolina, last summer, where we saw tiny figures nestled among the plants. See my blog post from September 8,  2021.