by Kristen Smeal, ABG board member and Master Gardener
A garden journal can be used for planning a garden as well as recording progress throughout the season. Children can be encouraged to play an active role in the planning process by making a personalized garden journal.
Having children plant some seeds and write down how much they grow per week gives children a tangible sense of how quickly (or slowly) plants grow, and great practice in taking measurements. Seed catalogs make wonderful material for collage-type garden planners. Have children cut out photos of the plants they would like to grow and paste them into the journal. This is a good opportunity to talk to children about what will grow and when. Here’s a chart from the Alameda County Master Gardeners to help with that. Show us your journals by forwarding photos to alamedabackyardgrowers@gmail.com or hashtagging #abg or #alamedabackyardgrowers on Facebook or Instagram
Materials:
- Stick (have kids find a stick outside or use a craft or popsicle stick)
- 3-5 pieces of standard size paper, can be recycled paper just needs to have one blank side
- Cardstock or other thick paper (suggested 8.5 x 11” size)
- String, ribbon, twine, or yarn (2-3 feet) Scissors or paper cutter Paper punch (this is best one for little hands)
- Crayons, markers, stickers, etc. to decorate the cover
Directions:
- Fold the cardstock longways down the middle (figure A) and cut the paper in two. Decorate the piece that will be used for a cover.
- Fold the cardstock in half and mark binding holes about ½ “ below the fold.
- Punch through the front and back of the card stock. Fold the printer paper in quarters (figure B) and use scissors to cut into four separate sheets. (adult supervision for under 5’s)
- Stack the papers and align with the holes in the card stock. Punch through the papers.
- Place the stick on the outside front cover. If the stick is longer than the top of the paper, trim it to size.
- Thread the string from the back to the front and wrap it around the stick on each side (image 3).
- Gather the string and secure it with a knot or bow.
Now you’re ready to go outside and start journaling!
