Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children

Sharon Lovejoy probably wasn't the very first gardener to think of creating fairy gardens, pizza gardens, sunflower houses and flower mazes; but I'll give her credit for introducing them to the gardening public like no one else had before or since. ROOTS, SHOOTS, BUCKETS AND BOOTS is a delightful introduction to gardening for children and the people who cherish them. The book is grounded on the idea that gardening should be shared with kids at a young age, the better to nurture a lifetime of healthy pleasure and respect for nature: therefore, learning how to grow things should be a fun experience, without a lot of restrictions, rules and long waiting to see results. Every project is scaled for children -- with a little help from parents - to be quick, do-able and fun. Parents will appreciate that the theme gardens in RSB&B will not send them running to the local garden center to charge up a small fortune in tools and materials. In keeping with organic horticultural practices, the author explains simple, homemade composting techniques and recipes to build soil and feed plants. Whenever possible, readers are encouraged to use found objects around the house and garage for cultivating and planting: she gives "permission" to dig and work the soil with spoons and forks, pot up potatoes in colanders and herb gardens in old gardening boots, and find new purpose for rusty old wagons as movable feasts of annual flowers. Kids can't help but learn quite a bit from their experiences in sowing and growing. The author opens up a world of wonderment that tantalizes kids to learn from the changes and growth taking place. She subtly encourages kids to watch for all the insect and animal life their gardens will attract. RSB&B is densely packed with fun factoids like, "Run your fingers over the pumpkin vines. Farmers use them to protect the plots of other crops" and "If you like the taste of licorice, you won't be able to pass your fennel without nibbling. Fennel is called the weight-watcher's herb because it satisfies an appetite." Designed with humor and illustrated with charm, RSB&B will prompt people of all ages to rediscover why they love playing outside in the sun, fresh air and dirt.

I'm in the early stages of planning a garden for my 4-yr old daughter (and 2-yr old son, if he eventually develops an interest!). This book caught my eye immediately so I bought it, and was not disappointed! It's a book that grabs you as soon as you see the cover. I just wanted to sit down immediately and read the whole thing! Beautifully illustrated by the author's own watercolors, it contains a wealth of ideas and information. It's obvious that the author is very enthusiastic about gardening and wants to ensure that you, and your children, have a successful and enjoyable experience. I disagree with the reviewer who said you need a huge plot of land to use this book. While the designs (if you follow them exactly) require plots ranging from 10 foot square up to 18 foot square, the author herself states in the introduction that her garden designs "aren't set in concrete; they're grown in soil, so experiment, change, add to or subtract from them." She has an entire chapter on container gardens, and most, if not all, of the plants in her top 20 can be grown successfully in containers. Use your imagination! I also saw a comment that the plants in her top 20 can be hard to find. She offers a substantial listing of sources, but I'll save you the trouble! If you can't find the plants at your local nursery, look no further than Bluestone Perennials and Burpee seeds, both of which you can shop on-line. I was able to locate everything in her top 20 list between those two companies, except for the mimosa plant seeds which I found on eBay, of all places! Bluestone is a excellent family-run company whom I have had great luck with--the best mail order nursery around in my opinion. You need to plan ahead and order your spring plants from them during the winter, but your patience will be rewarded with large healthy plants that come guaranteed to grow. Happy Gardening!

Love this book! Filled with creative ideas for the garden. Fun to read with kids.

Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots Activities To Do in the Garden by Sharon Lovejoy (5/5 stars) In anticipation of warmer months, this is a book I recommend for anyone with kids and room for a garden of some sort. Sections are organized into activities for planning and building fun gardens full of imagination, play, and of course food! Theme gardens like living Sunflower Houses and delicious Pizza Patches appeal to basics children already love. Some of the results also have crafts involved, like harvesting certain types of gourds to make bowls or birdhouses. (Even a loofa for Mom!) This book is not just your average kid or grownup garden book. One whole chapter is dedicated to creating a Moon Garden! This garden or part of your garden that comes to life when the sun and other plants go to sleep. How wonderful that an activity like gardening, that already brings a family together, can also teach science and help kids to understand that the world is active and very much alive even after we ourselves go to sleep. What I love best are the ideas in this book. Even if you don't have the most enormous yard, you can take the concepts and scale them down or invent your own outdoor space with it. Every page of Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots comes to life with warmly colored pages, gorgeous hand painted illustrations, and inspiring, easy to follow directions and recipes for family fun in the sun. Happy gardening! [...]

Nothing takes the sting out of winter like planning a garden. And if you have children, or have the prospect of rounding up a few on loan when spring comes, this book will warm you all the way through. Author Sharon Lovejoy ( Sunflower Houses : Inspiration from the Garden - A Book for Children and Their Grown-Ups and Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener ) gave us a treasure trove of ideas for good "clean" fun in her 1991 classic, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children (Gardening together with children) . Lovejoy gives detailed directions for a number of garden projects that kids are sure to love, from a Pizza Patch to a Sunflower House to a Flowery Maze. While her garden is in California, I think most of her planting suggestions would work in my colder zone. She weaves in snippets of poetry, folklore, mythology, and of course some basic botany and horticulture. Pure magic! What child could resist a mini-garden planted in an old boot or glove? or the scarecrow and worm box projects? or Mother Nature's Tea Party? Nature-based crafts and activities abound. Children are too often alienated from the wonders of nature -- and doesn't the future of the planet depend on their connection with its simple bounty? Do choose your plants carefully to avoid toxic elements, and supervise in accordance with the youngsters' ages. And if you live in the Southern hemisphere, remember that when you stand in your garden at noon the shadows point south, not north. Whether you're an experienced gardener or a novice, all you need to know is here in Lovejoy's charmingly illustrated, jam-packed book. Recommended if you want to unleash your creativity and delight a child -- or yourself. I've been reacquainting myself with this old friend because it's on my Christmas list for the nieces and nephews. Five stars and highly recommended. Linda Bulger, 2008

This book is full of neat ideas like a garden filled with giant pumpkins, giant walking stick cabbage patch, goard teepee and bean tunnel. If you have small kids and want to get them excited about garden planning and implementation this is the book for You.

I have many books about gardening with children, and this is my hands-down favorite. It is brimming with joy and enthusiasm that is guaranteed to inspire you to find a piece of earth for your children to garden. Sadly, I live in one of those modern suburban neighborhoods with postage stamp sized yards, but there is a very inventive chapter on container gardening that inspired me to look for unusual containers for plants, such as boots and hats. And I've been able to use elements of her garden plans, such as sunflower houses and moonflower poles, in various corners of my yard. This beautifully illustrated book (hand painted drawings) is very child-friendly, with passages that exhort your child to "Snuggle up inside your moonflower tent and wait for the night. Close your eyes, listen to the insects tune up for their evening conert, and inhale the aromas of the opening flowers.", and "Nibble tiny corn ears and alpine strawberries small enough for fairies to eat." I do wish a little bit more attention had been paid to pests though. We had a problem with squirrels chewing off our sunflower heads (we planted too close to the fence -- very disappointing to the kids!), birds eating our strawberries (we used netting next time), and deer sampling just about anything I put in the front yard. Experience is a good teacher, but perhaps an appendix with a heads-up about strategies for protecting beloved plants would have been nice...

This book has activities, information, recipes, poetry. It is gardening in instructional narrative, like being out learning with a cherished elder. With the sweetest lifelike drawings, to inspire ones own attempts to draw what they see. There is plenty of info, some history, but mostly a real plan to watch and involve oneself in nature, not just the garden but observe all the life it attracts. The title is perfect, simply and lovingly gardening with children.

Excellent gardening book for parents and children! So many wonderful ideas to do in the garden, to inspire kids to learn about all the beauties about plants and growing flowers, and flower forts/teepee hunts for them to hide in and explore! I am really enjoying this book! So happy I purchased it!!!!

姪っ子へのプレゼントで購入しましたが、ガーデニング好きの大人向けの本かもしれません。 英語がわからなくても、素敵な絵だけでも十分に楽しめます。 創意工夫にあふれたガーデニングで、感性を刺激されます。 虫たちもきちんと描かれていて、自然とともにあるようなガーデニングです。 庭のあるかたには、おすすめですが、私のように庭のない方も、楽しめる本です。

Algumas ideias quase impraticáveis. Outras me senti encorajado a tentar. O que mais me gratificou neste livro foi que ao ler sobre as propostas da autora, eu me inspirei e passei a ter minhas próprias ideias. Obrigado Shirley Lovejoy

Discovered this book when searching for gardening books to share with my young son (2 3/4). It is beautifully illustrated and contains some fantastic projects to enjoy together. Our sunflowers are almost ready to plant out as the sunflower den suggested in the book. The attention to detail in the pictures is lovely.

I LOVE this book. Sharon's passion and love for teaching about her passion is very clear. I bouht this book and refer to it all the time.