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!

Egg-Citing Activities for Kids, Part 1: Eggshell planter

In celebration of spring and my new book Hatching Chicks in Room 6, I will be posting a series of egg and chicken related projects and activities for kids. I'm starting with a repost of my Eggshell Planter project from June 2014:

One of my first illustration assignments was for a book about gardening activities with children.  At that time, most books for children were illustrated with black and white art so I made pencil drawings.  Here is one of the activities meant for younger children.  It would work well with pre-school or kindergarten children.

EGG HEAD PLANTER

Break away 1/4 of the pointed end of an egg shell, and empty the contents.  Have the children draw a face on the shell using felt pens, then fill the shell with moist soil and plant chives or wheat seed.  Make a stand from a cardboard egg carton. Place the egg head in the stand.  Water lightly each day.

Materials needed: Cardboard egg carton, eggs, felt pens, soil, chives or wheat seed.

From Children’s Gardens: A Field Guide for Teachers, Parents and Volunteers by Elizabeth Bremner and John Pusey, Illustrations by Caroline Arnold