This week, in part of our celebration of the book Lab Girl, we’re going to learn flowers and gardening!  So, get out your shovel, and let’s dig in! These activities are based on Every Child Ready to Read, which helps our friends learn pre-reading skills. We'll cover Reading, Writing, Talking, Singing and Playing.

TALKING:

• Do you like flowers? 
• Where do flowers grow?  
• What do flowers need to grow?  
• Can you name a part of a flower?

READING:

Read any book you have that mentions gardening or flowers or nature! I recommend Plant the Tiny Seed https://iii.ocls.info/record=b2159217~S1. We’ll also make a flower book at the end.

SINGING:

Let’s count and sing about flowers!

One little, two little, three little flowers 

Four little, five little, six little flowers 

Seven little, eight little, nine little flowers 

Ten flowers in the garden 

Ten little, nine little, eight little flowers 

Seven little, six little, five little flowers 

Four little, three little, two little flowers 

One little flower in the garden

PLAYING:

Here’s a fun and simple planting activity. Get a seed (bean or pea seeds are best for this) and put it in a wet cotton ball. Put the cotton ball and seed into a sealed plastic bag. Tape the plastic bag to a window that receives sunlight and wait for it to grow!  

Or, get a seed from any vegetable or fruit you have in the house and plant it outside. Wait for it to grow.

After planting, it’s time for some relaxation. Pretend you’re a little seed. Curl up like a ball, and then start to grow! Reach up, up, up and sprout your stem! Then blossom into a flower by opening your arms. You can also learn the yoga flower pose.

LEARN:

Learn about flowers in our online encyclopedia!

WRITING:

Make your own flower book:

1. Staple papers together and have each page represent a different amount of flowers.
2. Write (or have your child write) how many flowers. (One flower, two flowers, three flowers...) 
3. Illustrate! Draw or cut out pictures for each page.