10 Garden Books for Preschoolers

One of the obstacles to children eating whole food diets is that many live in a world where food just "appears" - and mostly in processed form. Do noodles grown on trees? Do apples come from the grocery store bin? These are the things my toddlers ask! In order to develop an early love of clean eating, children need to have tactile, sensory experiences with whole foods. I really believe this. They need to understand the gift of food - where it comes from, how it grows, and how it's prepared.

That's why I'm such a big fan of our kitchen garden. Let's not pretend we actually save any money growing our own food. (At least we don't - not after accounting for set up materials, extra seeds the twins "accidentally" sowed in their sandbox, and replacement plants for everything the birds and bunnies destroy...) Full Discloser: We are very bad gardeners. But what we do gain from gardening is invaluable, hands-on learning for our little ones.

Now not everyone has space or time for a kitchen garden, I know. We've been in that boat too. One year, instead of flowers, we put big pots of tomato plants on our tiny porch. Or it's all over Pinterest how you can regrow vegetables on your windowsill. BUT there are also books. Maybe you don't have a park nearby to travers on a "Seed Hunt". But you can read about seeds as your toddler marches his pudgy fingers across the pages, hunting for seeds in illustration form. The amazing thing about literature is that it can gift experiences to us that we would never have explored without it. AND you don't have to remember to water a literary garden! Speaking of which... (that whole thing about being bad gardeners)...

Here are ten our favorite preschool-appropriate books about gardens while I go grab the hose and hope it's not too late to save our strawberries:

Songs & Poems about Gardens

1. Jo MacDonald Had a Garden
Beautiful illustrations depict a garden through every season. Make up your own hand motions and sing along to the tune of "Old MacDonald".

2. Anna's Garden Songs
Children will benefit from the rhythm of poetry read aloud. Whimsical illustrations make this entertaining as well.









Silly Stories about Gardens

3. Frog and Toad Together: The Garden (Caldecott)
Toad wants to plant a garden and Frog gives him seeds but warns him it is hard work. This amusing tale is a good time to discuss what seeds really need in order to grow.

4. A Garden for Pig
Pig is tired of eating apples and wishes he had his own garden. Imagine his surprise when plants sprout from his droppings! Perfect for poop-obsessed toddlers. Pair with A Seed Is Sleepy.








Classic Fiction about Gardens

5. The Gardener (Newberry, Caldecott)
Maybe not a classic but the most rigid definition, but this book is certainly award and heart winning. It is told through letters. Try planting your own seeds in a garden or window pot and write a letter to someone telling them about it!

6. The Tale of Peter Rabbit 
People aren't the only ones who enjoy food from gardens! We picked this old favorite up again when rabbits starting munching away our hard work!









Informational Books about Gardens

7. From Seed to Plant
Gail Gibbons is my go-to author for elementary non-fiction. Some content may be to difficult for preschoolers but the illustrations are colorful and informative.

8. A Seed Is Sleepy
I simply cannot get over the illustrations in this text. I am in love with them. The text is divided into large print, repetitive, phrases ("A seed is...") and smaller print detailed information. Read one or both to differentiate learning.







Cross-curricular Books about Gardens

9. Planting a Rainbow (colors)
Not all gardens grow food! Learn about colors while exploring vivid illustrations of flower variety.

10. Eating the Alphabet (letters)
While not technically a book about gardens, Lois Ehlers brings her beautiful art again to list fruits and vegetables from A-Z. What letters are on your plate?

Easiest Overnight Oats & Blueberry Nice-Cream

This is my easiest overnight oats recipe and the boys love it! Just 4 ingredients pack in fiber, whole grains, protein, and calcium. Layer with fruit and/or 5 minute blueberry nice-cream and you have a beautiful breakfast to-go! The twins love to help "design" their own jars in the mornings. 

Ingredients

Oatmeal: 

1 banana

1 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup milk of choice

2 Tbs almond butter

Nice-Cream:

1 banana

1 cup blueberries

1-4 Tbs milk of choice

1/2 cup spinach leaves (optional)
                                                                                                         

Before Bed

1. Peel and freeze 1 banana and 1 cup of blueberries.

2. In a medium bowl, mash another banana with almond (or another nut) butter. 

3. Add 1 cup oats and 1 cup milk. Stir, cover, and refrigerate.

In the Morning

1. Remove oatmeal from fridge and stir.

2. Slice frozen banana and place in blender with frozen blueberries.

NOTE: You can also add in 1/2 cup of torn spinach leaves to add a veggie!

3. Begin blending and add 1-4 Tbs milk as needed. Mixture will be grainy at first. Keep blending as it will eventually turn creamy and smooth!

4. Layer oatmeal, nice cream, and fresh fruit as desired. Breakfast in minutes!

5 Ingredient Sweet Potato Fries & Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Some days are just crazy.

Like "why are my keys in the fridge" and "who put the firefighter helmet on the baby" CRAZY.

These are the days that I could really care less about what my kids eat so long as they are full. The days when I would really love to just throw a box of microwaveable mac-n-cheese at them and call it lunch. Please tell me I'm not the only mom who has these kind of days! And by these kind of days I kind of mean... all the time.

There. I said it. Every day is crazy at our house. Maybe it has something to do with having three kids in three years (thank you, twins). But, regardless, I have to have something quick and nutritious in my reporatoire that will not be met with a toddler eating strike if I'm going to survive this phase of parenthood. Soo...

French fries! Everyone likes french fries. Even my super-picky-I-liked-carrots-yesterday-but-not-today-todders. These are sweet potato fries (so more nutritious) and baked (so not as many fats). Did you know: a serving of sweet potatoes contain 400% of your daily Vitamin A? The yogurt dipping sauce is also a better alternative to traditional fry condiments. It has the sweetness of ketchup and the creaminess of mayo without the same fat content and refined sugars. When in doubt, my twins will usually eat sweeter foods over savory ones. Plus, in my experience, toddlers will eat anything that has a dipping sauce! 

5 Ingredient Sweet Potato Fries & Yogurt Dipping Sauce

1 sweet potato

1/4 cup plain yogurt*

1 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

salt

**optional olive oil**

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Peel and slice your sweet potato into fries. Keep baking time in mind when you decide the size. Thinner fries will bake up quicker than thick ones. You can also do this the night before, but you will want to toss with a drizzle of oil before sealing and refrigerating them if so.

3. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out fries on it. You can choose to bake plain or drizzle with oil (about 2 tsps) for a crispier texture. I always opt to bake with olive oil because a) I prefer the texture, b) kids especially need good fats, and c) there's some research that beta carotene (Vitamin A) is absorbed better when eaten with fat.

4. Bake for 15 minutes and then check. The thinner the fry, the faster the cook time.

5. Meanwhile, mix yogurt with maple syrup, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. (If your yogurt is sweetened, omit the maple syrup).

6. Remove fries from oven, sprinkle with salt, and cool. Enjoy!

*Greek yogurt has a nice texture for dipping. Coconut yogurt has a good flavor as well if you are going paleo/vegan. Shy away from soy-based yogurts as they have too strong a flavor to work well here. 

10 Ways to Use an Outdoor Numberline

So I know I usually post about food, but this week's weather has been so divine that I have been more occupied with teaching toddlers than feeding them! We have planted seeds, read books about gardening from the local library, and charted our 5 senses on a graphic organizer. It's amazing how observant children are of the world around them if we'd only pause to ask what they see, smell, hear, and feel! After turning our kitchen garden into a "search and rescue" site for his cars, O dictated:

I smell dirt.

Isn't that one of the best scents of spring?! Fresh earth, worked with a trowel. Fragrant. What was old and decayed all winter now teeming with nutrients to birth new life! But I digress.

When we use the great outdoors for our classroom, I find it natural to incorporate science, reading, language, and even social studies concepts into our experience. But -not innately being a "math person"- I have to draw deep on my teaching training to invent ways play at math outside. This week we built a very simple outdoor number line! Far too often, children find math boring because it is confined to pencil and paper. In my experience with early education students, math should be kinesthetic! Math should be tactile and concrete for the best results.

So, first things first, how do you build an outdoor number line? Here are several easy and inexpensive ways:

1. Start at zero. Ok. So not technically a "way" (that's coming) to make a number line. But it's a very important tip! When I taught first grade, one of the most common errors students made while using a number line was to start at 1 instead of 0 when counting, leading to all their answers being off by a single digit. Make sure your number line starts at zero. The concept of "something" (a numeral) representing "nothing" can be a surprisingly challenging concept for toddlers especially. Try numbering paper cups or little buckets 0-10 to use as your number line. Then either fill them yourself or give your child objects such as craft sticks or rocks to fill each one with the correct amount. This will help him visualize "zero".
2. Use chalk. Don't have a yard? No problem! Just draw a quick number line on your driveway or sidewalk.
3. Line up paper plates. If you want something very inexpensive but that can be set up and cleaned faster than drawing and washing chalk, try a paper plate number line. Be sure to purchase a heavy duty "cardboard" textured plates if you want them to stand up to multiple uses. Simple write the numbers on them with markers, set them out, and get started.
4. Invest in paving stones. Build a more permanent fixture in your yard using stone pavers or tiles. You can paint the numbers on, or draw with chalk if you'd like the pavers to have dual decorative and utilitarian purpose.
5. Repurpose a clothesline. Use a clothesline (or string) and clothes pins to create a sorting number line that children can build and rebuild. You can be fancy and laminate decorative numbers to clip along the line, or you can just write 0-10 on index cards and call it a day! See The Preschool Toolbox for ideas.

Now that you've built your number line, how do you use it? Here's the fun part :)

1. Free play. Unstructured play is one of the most important learning activities a young child can engage in. Simple set up an inviting outdoor number line and sit back to see if and how your child will use it. There is no "wrong way" here. 
2. Counting. Practice counting from 1-10 aloud while hoping along the number line. If this seems boring, try:
1. Stomping like a dinosaur
2. Tiptoeing like a mouse
3. Hopping on one foot like a flamingo
3. Counting backwards. It's not just for rocket ships blasting off. Counting backwards is an important foundation for subtraction.
4. Skip counting. Use giant kangaroo jumps to practice skip counting. With a number line I would just model counting by two's (landing on every other number). 
5. Odd and Even. While skip counting, take the opportunity to discuss odd and even numbers.
1. Zero, two, four, six, eight. Johnny's jumping's really great!
2. One, three, five, seven, nine. Jimmy's hopping in a line!
6. Sequence/sorting. This works best if you are using paper plates or a clothesline and pins to create your number line. Give your child the numbers 0-10 (or 0-5 for an easier modification) and have them sort them sequentially to build the number line on their own. 
7. Missing number. This is another sequence activity. The numbers are playing hide and seek! While your child covers their eyes (and counts to 10 ;) ) remove/cover one of the numbers on the number line (leaving its "spot" open) and ask your child to discover which number is missing.
8. Addition.  Here are a few models of how I would phrase addition problems on a life-sized number line:
1. Equation: 2 + 2 = 4 (can verbalize and/or write with chalk)
2. Model: Hmmm... Two plus two. I want to know what two hops and two more hops is. Here is the two. What is two more? Let me take two more hops. One. Two. Oh look! I am standing on the the number four! Two and two (more) is four. Two plus two equals four!
3. Acting out: Adam, can you use the number line to find out what 2 hops plus 2 more hops is? Etc.
4. Story problems: Jeff the Giraffe took 2 wobbly giraffe steps. Then he decided to take two more wobbly giraffe steps. How many steps did Jeff take?
9. Subtraction. See addition.
10. Writing. Take this opportunity to practice writing the numerals.
1. Hard: Write or paint (depending on the style of number line you use) the actual numbers for the line.
2. Moderate: Trace the prewritten numbers on the number line with chalk.
3. Easy: Explore one number by tracing its shape with pebbles or other small objects.

Apple Pizzas

Apple pizzas are a fun hands-on snack for little chefs and they are totally toddler-approved. As a retired early education teacher, I also love the fine motor skills involved here for all the busy little fingers!

This is an extremely simple "recipe", but it is versatile and easy to whip up on a busy day. A deeply ingrained love of clean-eating starts in childhood; so tactile exploration of whole foods is very important for the toddler years.

Apple Pizzas

1. Have an adult slice an apple through the midsection to create circular disks. This is a great time to point out the star in the center of the apple, the seeds, and even to discuss plant life cycles if you're feel ambitious.

2. Supply almond (or another nut) butter, plastic knives, and a variety of "pizza toppings" for decorating. 

3. Show child(ren) how to spread the nut butter "sauce" on their apple crust and then either (a) discuss and model patterns (raisin, banana, raisin, banana, etc) and have them create their own, or (b) let them go free-for-all decorating on their own.

Ingredients:

Large organic* apple

Natural nut butter of choice

Topping Ideas:

raisins
craisins

dark chocolate chips

chia seeds

cheerios

diced banana

sunflower seeds
pepitas
cinnamon

*We can't always afford organic produce, but apples are a great fruit to buy organic when you can as they are on the "Dirty Dozen" list of produce with the highest levels of chemicals. See the entire Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen 2016 list here.

Baked Oatmeal: "Polynesian Wedding Cake" Style

Baked oatmeal is a lovely dish because it is a blank canvas that can support so many different flavor combinations! It also makes a wonderful brunch dish, in my opinion, because of its heartiness and ability to be completely prepped the night before.

Baked Oatmeal: "Polynesian Wedding Cake" Style

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbs chia seeds

2 cups coconut (or other plant-based) milk

1/2 cup orange juice

1 Tbs maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup diced pineapple

1/2 cup diced mango

1/2 mashed banana (about 1/4 cup)

2 Tbs chopped nuts

2 Tbs raisins

Coconut flakes for topping

Steam carrots with a little water in a medium saucepan until soft. (The bake time later will not be long enough to cook them otherwise.) Drain.

Back in the saucepan, combine carrots with chia, oats, and spices and stir. Add liquid ingredients and stir well to combine. Measure in fruit and nuts and then cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened. (About 10 minutes).

Pour into a standard pie dish and either
1. Cover and refrigerate to bake in the morning, or
2. Preheat oven to 350 degree and bake for 20 minutes. 

If you refrigerate, you will need to set oatmeal out in the morning to come to room temperature or bake it an extra 10 minutes.

Top oatmeal with coconut flakes and broil, if desired, on low for 2 minutes to toast.
My toddlers do NOT like the coconut. It has the utter audacity to be cwunchy.

My Favorite Soup from My Favorite Food Blog

Back when my husband and I first started our journey to cleaner eating, we had no idea were to start! Initially, we started by thumbing through some Abs Diet books he had sitting on the bookshelf. (Of note: neither of had or currently has abs!) This was a decent warmup as we learned about superfoods, protein sources, and alternatives to sweeteners. Eat This Not That was my personal favorite because if you're still going to binge on ice cream from time to time, knowledge is power! Knowing what brands did the least amount of damage to our bodies when we succumbed to the siren call of junk food was supremely helpful!

But we still had a long way to go. 

The abs diet incorporated a large amount of meat in its repertoire. And, though we gradually toned down our meat consumption as a natural result of boosting the amount of produce and plant-based foods we were eating, we were still frequently enjoying red meat, sausage, etc. Then the study came out from the World Heath Organization which concluded what we were already beginning to suspect - that processed meat (sausage, bacon, lunchmeat..) is carcinogenic to humans and that red meat is a probable carcinogen as well. That was the kick in the pants we needed to truly start delving into some vegan and vegetarian recipes that were nutrient dense and caloric enough to support our active family lifestyle. 

Enter Angela Liddon's easy to follow and simple ingredient recipes on her blog Oh She Glows! (And, no, I'm not paid to promote her! We just love her food!) My husband actually found her site while researching one night. Unlike many other vegan bloggers, her recipes are high in fat and very filling - a must when you're also feeding tiny people with monstrous toddler metabolisms!

While we still eat fish and organic, free-range chicken once a week, many of the dishes we rotate through our monthly meal plans are vegan and come from her blog. Below is the link to my absolute favorite soup of hers, rich with Indian flavors!

Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

I make this with her Cilantro Speckled Basmati (substituting brown rice for the basmati) and I add 1/2 a cup of carrots to round out the soup!

NOTE: If our toddlers aren't eating with us, by chance, I will also substitute 1 can of rotel for the can of tomatoes to bring on heat I associate with curry!