Gardens and Green Spaces

Ice Breaker

“Hi, my name is Nelida and I like tulips”.

Goals

• Discuss gardening with children

• Practice Literacy skills while gardening

• Linking literature to gardening

Nature and Children

Gardens and green spaces provides the perfect setting for learning because children have the opportunity to use

all five senses while exploring outdoors.

Hands on Sensory Experience and Learning

• Sight – there is so much to see in a park or a garden.

• Touch – children can experience the different textures and feel of everything in the park.

• Smell – children can experience a wide range of smells in the garden.

• Sound –On a breezy day, you can hear the rustle of leaves and plants as they move in the wind.

• Taste –A vegetable garden or fruit garden provides plenty of acceptable options.

The Great Outdoors

• “A growing body of evidence indicates that contact with nature is as important to children as good nutrition and adequate sleep, and therefore, educators need to address children’s access to nature” (Hachey and Butler, 2009).

Building Literacy Skills while Playing in Parks and Gardens

• The park and garden will provide the perfect environment to introduce new words to children.

• Activity

Pruner

Rake

Trowel

Lawn Aerator

Hand Cultivator

Hoe

Pruning Saw

Fertilizer Spreader

Linking Literature

• There are so many wonderful picture books about gardens and green spaces. For example In the Tall, Tall Grass by Denise Fleming.

• Activity

Questions for Parents

NOW-Think about a typical day for you. Think about a typical day for your children…

• How much time do you spend outside? • How important is a visit to the park? • Does your local park have grass, trees or

flowers?• When you walk to work, school or the bus, how

many “green spaces” do you pass? • How many trees do you see?

Contact

Nelida VazquezFree Library of Philadelphia1901 Vine St Philadelphia PA215-555-5555