Do you have a special Mom that you would like to wish Happy Mother’s Day too? Create a rainbow with crayons, paint, torn paper or even watercolors and print out this Mothers Day Poem. Better yet have your children read it to Mom.

Mother’s Day Poem for Preschoolers

Print this adorable Mother’s Day Poem for Preschool.

Here’s are the many reason why “My MOM is a Rainbow.”

Print your own My Mom is a Rainbow Poem HERE

Looking for Mother’s Day Art?

We recently made a MOM Painting Project with Colors and I thought this poem would be the perfect match to it. Such a simple mother’s day painting but the impact is adorable on a mother’s heart this year.

GET THE DIRECTIONS HERE for this EASY MOTHERS DAY PROJECT

Rainbow Clipart from MyCuteGraphics.com

Sometimes it’s hard to say out loud all the things that we see in our Moms. I feel so very lucky to have an amazing Mom that has helped me to become the Mom that I strive to be every day with my 3 children.

We hope you take time today to tell the Moms around you how special you think they are to you.

Mother’s Day Craft Ideas for Kids to Make

• DIY Flower Bouquet for Mothers Day 
• 40 Acts of Kindness Ideas for Mothers Day 
• Mother’s Day Art Project with Kids
• Mother’s Day Photo Wall Hanging 
• Create a Wreath for Mother’s Day
• Create a Acts of Kindness Wreath 
• Mothers’ Day Handprint Card
• Our Spin on Being a Mom

Happy Mother’s Day from The Educators’ Spin On It

In this article I’ll show you how to create an “acts of kindness” bouquet with your kids. It’s the perfect gift for Mother’s Day, a birthday, teacher appreciation or anytime someone special needs a lift.

Look below for a few variations that are perfect for the male role model in your child’s life, too!

Why Make a Kindness Bouquet? 

As a parent, you strive to raise well-rounded kids who think of others. With busy schedules, you need to make the most of every opportunity. Wrapping acts of kindness into a special gift is certainly a way to do that.

Coming up with unique gift ideas can be a challenge, especially if you are trying to say thank you to someone who cares for you. Seriously, how do you wrap up love and appreciation?
Every woman loves a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The only thing a parent, grandparent or teacher loves more is a gift that kids make themselves.

An act of kindness bouquet is the perfect solution.

During this fun project, you and your kids will make kindness flowers using paper, paint and assorted art supplies and then add an “act of kindness” to each flower. Each act is a promise to do something special for the recipient of the gift.

You could also incorporate these flowers into a Mothers’ Day Scavenger Hunt.

DIY Flower Bouquet for Mother’s Day

It’s important to encourage your kids to pause and think of all the things that parents, teachers and friends do for them every day, and to think of acts of kindness they can do in return. Then put those ideas into action with this gift.

Plus these simple ideas can be used beyond the days surrounding special occasions. These random (and not so random) acts can become part of your routine, practiced throughout the year.

Materials for Painted Flowers Bouquet 

• Paper
• Paint
• Paintbrush
• Recycled Objects for Stamping
• Pen
• Scissors
• Marker or crayons
• Tape
• Something to use as a flower stem (sticks, bamboo skewers, pencils, pipe cleaners, etc.)
• Ribbon
• Vase or box

Are you ready to make a kindness bouquet?

#1: Paint Kindness Flowers

To start, make 10 fun kindness flowers with your kids.
Have them take a few sheets of paper and paint all over them. Your kids can paint freeform or use random objects to create designs on the paper.

If you want to use items to create a pattern or design, try cotton swabs, cotton balls, lids, corks and straw. It’s important to cover each sheet of paper thoroughly.

Note: Make sure your kids know that they’re not necessarily painting shapes to look like flowers—that part will come later.

Messiness in this process is encouraged. Just have paper towels close by.
Give the painted paper time to dry before you go on to the next step. This is the perfect opportunity to start brainstorming lists for the acts of kindness.

#2: Write Down Kindness Gifts

Sit down with your kids and talk about things that would be nice to do for the recipient of the bouquet. They’ll probably surprise you and come up with some great ideas for Mom, Grandma, Auntie or their favorite teacher at school. These written-down acts will be promises, chores or additional creative gifts that your kids will do throughout the month.

Click here for 40 Ideas for Acts of Kindness for Mothers’ Day  

Once you have your list, discuss which “gifts” are truly possible and pick 10 of your favorites.

Have your child write the finalized kindness acts on small slips of paper. Set them aside and go back to working on the flowers.

#3: Create Kindness Flowers

Once your painted paper is dry, you can go on to make the kindness flowers. Trace around a premade flower outline, a stencil drawn by your child or a large flower-shaped cookie cutter and have your child cut the flowers out of the paper.

Note: Younger kids may need help cutting intricate shapes. We cut the painted papers into quarters to make it easier for little hands.

#4: Assemble Your Kindness Bouquet

Once you cut out all the flowers, use tape to connect each one to a stem made from a stick, bamboo skewer, pencil or pipe cleaner.

Remember the acts of kindness you wrote on slips of paper? Attach each act of kindness to a flower stem, below the bloom. Just place the paper against the stem and tape it. Feel free to add extra paper to use as leaves for the flowers.

Next, tie a ribbon around the bouquet or arrange the flowers into a vase.

Note: You may want to add glass beads, marbles or something similar to the bottom of the vase. That will help keep it stable and help you arrange the paper flowers.

When you give the gift, explain that each flower represents a gift the receiver can redeem at any time. Draw a small picture—a heart, perhaps—on each flower as it’s redeemed.

Voilà! The perfect gift! One made with paper, paint and lots of love. And a great way to teach your kids to be kind and grateful.

Here are some additional Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Kids below:

Some Final Thoughts…
In this busy technocentric society, it’s important to give our children tools to express empathy and reach out to others with kindness. These fun acts should inspire joy, as well as a love of helping—and surprising—others! A kindness bouquet is the perfect way to turn these acts into a cherished present.

What do you think? How did the DIY Flower Bouquet for Mother’s Day turn out? Who received them? What gifts did your kids add to their kindness bouquets? I’d love to hear your ideas and see pictures in the comment section below.

May Activities for Kids

May each year seems to become a very busy time of year when you have kids in school. Do you agree?

The month kicks off with Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation. Then, as it comes to an en,d you’ve started wanting to plan out end of school year parties, gifts for teachers and classmates, and Memorial Day plans. We’ve put together a complete guide to activity ideas to do with your child after school or if you’re volunteering at school ideas to do in the classroom.

Mother’s Day Crafts

As the month of May begins, it’s a very special time to create gifts and crafts for Mother’s Day.

• DIY Flower Bouquet for Mother’s Day
• MOM Paint Resist Art Project
• Easy Mother’s Day Poem and Craft
• Mother’s Day Star Themed Card 
• Acts of Kindness for Mom
• Handprint Card for Mother’s Day 

Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas

Each first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week. The official day is the first Tuesday of May. Here are a few ways to help your child show their teacher how much they appreciate them.

• DIY Teacher Appreciation Gift Ideas
• Super Hero Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas
• Thank you Gift Ideas for Your Child’s Teacher
• Videos for Teacher Appreciation
• Gifts Ideas for all School Support Staff
• Classroom Wreath Tutorial
• Personalized Glass Vase

End of School Year Projects

One special thing we recommend is planning an activity for the end of the school year with your child. Here are a few ideas that even include keepsake ideas and party ideas.

• End of Year Keepsake Craft for Ice Cream Party
• End of School Year Activities
• End of School Year Party Idea with Printables
• End of School Year Printable Interview
• Last Day of School Gift Idea
• Tips for Organizing Art Projects at End of School Year
• How to Write a Placement Letter for Your Child’s Teacher

Memorial Day Activities for Kids

It’s important to honor those we’ve lost for Memorial Day, even with our younger children. We have a few age-appropriate suggestions to do with your child.

• Edible America Flag Snack
• Patriotic Activities for Kids for Memorial Day
• How to Discuss Memorial Day with Kids {Includes Activities}
• Magnetic Patriotic Sensory Bottle
• Red, White and Blue Snack Ideas
• Recipe for Red, White and Blue Rice Krispie Treats

Butterfly Activities

As the flowers come to life in May, so do the butterflies. Bring your outdoor learning into your home with these fun butterfly activities and crafts.

• Caterpillar to Butterfly Balloon STEM Challenge
• Butterfly Recycled Art Project
• Butterfly Books for Kids
• LEGO Inspired Story Retelling of The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Monarch Science
• Planting a Butterfly Garden

Read a butterfly book.

Honey Bee Activities

Learn about the importance of bees during this growing season with your child.

• Learning About Bees in the Garden
• Honey Bee Craft
• DIY Bee Math Counters and Game
• Honey Bee Books for Kids
• Learning About Bee Pollination with Zucchini

Read a book about Honey Bees

Garden with Kids

Growing season happens all the time around us, especially in your backyard garden. Here are our top picks for gardening with kids this month as the weather warms up.

• Best Vegetables to Grow with Kids
• 10 Flowers to Grow with Kids
• Best Herbs to Grow with Kids 
• Building a Garden Book Collection 
• Herb Painting
• Alphabet Garden Hunt
• Painting with Flowers 
• Growing Peas with Kids

Read a book about Gardening for Kids

Blueberry Picking Activities

As the weather begins to warm, it’s time for blueberry season. Here are a few ways to enjoy blueberries together.

• Blueberry Smoothie Recipe
• Blueberry Picking with kids
• Blueberry Gift Idea and  Printable
• Blueberry Themed Books
• 30 Ways to Eat Blueberries with Kids

STEM Activities for Kids

• Solar Energy Experiments with Kids
• 50 STEM Activities for Kids
• Newspaper Engineering Challenges

May Books for Kids

We’ve put together a collection of the perfect books to read in May with your child. These children’s picture books go along with the activities we’ve shared for the month of May. The book images are links to Amazon with our Amazon affiliate referral links for easy shopping.

Want more? Explore our full list of the Best May Books for Kids.

Did you download our free activity calendar for kids?

You might also enjoy our calendar for April Activities for Kids OR March Activities for Kids

Be sure to download our free monthly activity guide for May. We’ve done all the planning so you can have fun with your child with these activity ideas.

You may also enjoy these activities with your child…

Let’s explore these books in May…

May Books for Kids

Books with themes related to growth, renewal, nature, and exploration would be wonderful choices to read to young children during the month of May.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Springtime: Books that celebrate the arrival of spring, with blooming flowers, budding trees, and chirping birds, can capture the season’s essence.
2. Gardening: Stories about planting seeds, tending to gardens, and watching plants grow can be both educational and inspiring for young readers.
3. Mother’s Day: With Mother’s Day often falling in May, books that celebrate the bond between mothers and children, as well as the importance of family, can be particularly relevant.
4. Insects and Butterflies: May is a time when insects become more active, so books about insects, butterflies, and their life cycles can be both educational and fascinating for young readers.
5. Outdoor Exploration: Encouraging children to explore the outdoors and appreciate the beauty of nature through books that showcase outdoor adventures, camping, or picnics can be a wonderful way to celebrate the arrival of warmer weather.

May brings vibrant colors, fragrant flowers, and lively creatures. As the days grow longer and the sun shines brighter, we are surrounded by nature’s wonders. We celebrate the arrival of spring, a time of growth, renewal, and exploration. Explore these Spring Virtual Field Trips for Kids too!

The book images are links to Amazon with our Amazon affiliate referral links for easy online shopping.

Disclosure: This post includes Amazon Affiliate links.

Children’s Book Themes for May

These May Book themes can help children connect with the world around them and appreciate the beauty and wonder of the spring season.

Mother’s Day Books

Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday each May. You can explore these adorable Mother’s Day books and make this easy Mother’s Day Craft.

The Night Before Mother’s Day by Natasha Wing

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer

Memorial Day Books

Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May each year. In the United States, Memorial Day honors the memory of soldiers who died in the nation’s wars. On Memorial Day, Americans attend parades, church services, and other social events. People also decorate soldiers’ graves with flowers and flags.

Here’s how to discuss Memorial Day with Young Children and a few ways to honor our soldiers.

Memorial Day by Emma Carlson Berne

The Wall by Eve Bunting

The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael and Her Tribute to Veterans by Barbara E. Walsh

Here are some additional Memorial Day Books for Kids.

Bee Books

This time of year is buzzing for bee life! This is a great time of year to explore how many species you can find buzzing around your home and to learn about polination.

Explore these adorable Bee Activities for learning about Bees with your child.

The Honeybee by Kirsten Hall

The Secret Life of Bees by Moira Butterfield

Bee Dance by Rick Chrustowski

Want more? Explore these adorable Honey Bee Books for Kids.

Butterfly Books

As the weather warms, butterflies are seen flying around our gardens. Take this month to learn more about butterflies with your child. Start with the Caterpillar to Butterfly STEM Challenge.

Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

Explore more about butterflies with these colorful Butterfly Books for Kids.

Garden Books

With the ground warming up, it’s time to get busy in the garden! There are so many fun gardening books for kids. Here’s our collection of Gardening Activities for Kids.

We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Dig down deeper into the garden with these helpful Garden Books for Kids or the colorful Flower Books for Kids.

Blueberry Books

For warmer areas, May is the time to pick blueberries! For cooler areas, you maybe seeing the blueberry blossoms. Take time this month to explore these blueberry books with your child.

After you read, head to the kitchen and try one of these 30+ Blueberry Recipes for Kids.

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Blueberry Cake by Sarah Dillard

Blueberry Mouse by Alice Low

Learn more about this tasty berry with these Blueberry Books for Kids.

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Books

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated annually in May to honor the contributions, achievements, and experiences of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the United States.

Throughout history, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have made significant contributions to various aspects of American society, including politics, arts, sciences, sports, and more. This month serves as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate their rich cultural heritage and the vital role they play in shaping the diverse tapestry of American society.

Here are a few Activities for Asian American Heritage Month.

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

‘Ohana Means Family by Ilima Loomis

The ABCs of Asian American History by Renee Macalino Rutledge

Take a moment to explore this Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Reading List for Kids from the New York Public Library.

STEM Books

As the school year ends, you may find more time for tinkering and building at home or in the classroom. It’s also a time for science fairs. Explore these STEM Books for kids for some inspiration.

Try one of these 50+ STEM Activities for Kids to get started!

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Here is the most comprehensive STEM Books for Children list.

Download May Activities for Kids

Looking for ideas for May? Explore this month a collection of May Activities for Kids to enjoy after school as the school year comes to an end. 

Did you download our free activity calendar for kids?

May Themes for Kids

Here are some wonderful themes for May:

• Springtime
• Gardening
• Insects and Bugs
• Life Cycles
• Outdoor Exploration
• Mother’s Day
• Community Helpers
• Weather
• Animals and Habitats

These book themes for May provide rich and engaging topics that foster curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning in young children.

You may also enjoy these kids’ activities this May…

Best Vegetables to Grow With Kids

By Becky, author of Kids World Citizen

It’s just about that time of year to end this miserable cold (finally) and start enjoying spring weather and thinking about what vegetables to grow with kids in our gardens! Gardening is the ideal outdoor learning experience: playing in the mud, learning about underground ecosystems, watching our plants grow with sunlight and rain and some tender care, and getting the gratification of growing a food that we can eat at the end of the process (and maybe even trying something new!).

If you’d like to get your kids more involved this year, here are our best veggies to grow with kids.

Vegetables to Grow with Kids: Fastest Growing for (almost) Instant Gratification

1. Radishes
2. Baby Carrots
3. Lettuce

Kids want it, and want it NOW! All of these choices will germinate from seed in just days when you add water and sunlight, giving kids a chance to see how crooked or straight their seed lines were! What about spreading the seeds in the form of their initial?

What’s great about these three choices is that you can pick and eat them while they are still young, shortening growing time even more.

Vegetables to Grow with Kids: Most Prolific Veggie for Raw Munchers

1. Cherry tomatoes
2. Snap Peas
3. Herbs (try mint, lemon balm, parsley, or chives)

One of the best part of gardening is being able to eat raw veggies straight from the plant. To be honest, I don’t remember ever being able to pick enough snap peas to actually make them because my kids eat the entire harvest from the vine before I even get to snap a picture. Cherry tomatoes are a given, because varieties nowadays produce fruit the entire growing season (65-85 F during the day, and nights should be above 55).

As for herbs, mint grows, and grows, and if you’re not careful it can take over your herb garden! That being said my kids think it’s cool that they can walk by and grab a leaf to eat. If your kids don’t like mint, try parsley or chives, or even lemon balm for a sensory blast every time you walk past it.

Vegetables to Grow with Kids: Best Choice for Those without a Green Thumb

1. Potatoes
2. Asparagus
3. Green beans

If you are looking for the absolute easiest to grow- meaning you forget that you even have a garden- look no further. My green beans have been re-seeding themselves for years and grow like a jungle with little care. Asparagus sounds challenging, but it is incredibly simple. From the snowy Midwest to tropical Houston, plant it once, and it will grow in the same spot every growing season for 20 years! Potatoes are so easy it is almost a joke.

I once sent my 5 year old out to the garden with a container of forgotten purple potatoes from Whole Foods that had gone bad, forgotten in the back of our pantry. I told Ricky to plant them and I honestly forgot he had done so for a couple of months.

We went out to prepare our garden in the spring and found the ground peppered with TONS of purple potatoes that had grown during our mild winter!

Becky of Kid World citizen, master teacher, talented writer and expert in Global Education is our guest writer today. She has a fabulous backyard garden and her kids are willing to try new vegetables for dinner because of it.

More related articles from Becky

• How to Compost with Kids
• 35 Service Projects for Kids
• Where in the World is Your Food From

Click for more Gardening with Kids

I adore her blog’s, motto, “activities that help young minds go global” and could spend hours reading and learning from her.  If you too are interested in global education, I encourage you to check out her latest book, The Global Education Toolkit for Elementary Learners.

Thank you so very much Becky for joining us for Kids in the Garden; Learning and Growing and sharing this great list with us. I agree with you wholeheartedly with everything, except #2 on the best to grow if you don’t have a green thumb list, as I’ve never tried to grow it – YET.

I’d love to hear what you’re planning this spring!

What are your favorite veggies for kids?

I am so happy to be here today thinking about spring and getting into the garden with my kids.

Hi, I’m Jen and I write at the blog Kitchen Counter Chronicles. If I look out my window right now, all I can see is snow, snow and more snow. It amazes me how under all that snow the flowers in our garden are busy getting ready to re-emerge.

I have always thought of gardening as a certain type of natural magic. My daughters feel the same way. We have planted many flowers, herbs, trees, shrubs and vegetables over the years. Some flowers have been more successful than others…some have been more engaging than others.

I’ve put together our favourite 10 flowers to grow with kids.

I have included the flowers I have seen my daughters, and other children, enjoy the most. The flowers that engage one or more of their 5 senses tend to be the most interesting to kids.

If a flower is fun to touch, smells interesting, makes a particular sound, is beautifully coloured or has an interesting flavour, the children will be captivated.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Set of 25 Flower Seed Packets Including 10 Or More Varieties Forget Me Nots, Pinks, Marigolds, Zinnia, Wildflower, Poppy, Snapdragon and More

10 Flowers to Grow with Kids

1. Daisy

Daisies are a simple perennial flower to start with. There are many different varieties of daisies, you can find an entire rainbow of colours to grow. Daisies are perfect for children to grow because they so grow easily. They can be picked and they will produce more and more flowers. Children love picking flowers, touching flowers and daisies are the perfect flowers to pick.

Buy Daisy Seeds

2. Woolly Lambs Ear

Here is a plant that my children simply cannot resist touching, I can’t either. Woolly lambs ear is a perennial plant that grows quite easily in most climates. This plant is exactly what the name says…the leaves and the flowers are as soft as a woolly lambs ear…seriously.

Buy Woolly Lambs Ear Seeds

3. Strawflowers

While we are on the topic of flowers that feel great, there are strawflowers. Strawflowers are a fascinating plant for children to explore. The flowers the plant produces are paper or straw-like…the petals are hard, crisp and pointy. These flowers are perfect for cutting and turning into dried flower arrangements…in fact even when the flowers are fresh they feel like a dried flower…fascinating.

Buy Strawflower Seeds

4. Sweet Peas

Moving on to another sense, the sense of smell. The sweet pea is an annual flower that grows along a vigorous lightweight vine. Sweets peas are the perfect plant to grow into a teepee in the garden, along a railing or a fence. When the small, pastel flowers open up children will understand why they are called “sweet”. The scent they produce is soft, not at all harsh. Again, these flowers are perfect for children to make bouquets for little hands.

Buy Sweet Pea Seeds

5. Nasturtium

A super easy annual plant to grow in containers or in a garden. Nasturtium’s brightly coloured flowers are prolific and edible. Nasturtium is a safe edible flower for children to try. Mix the flowers into a salad, or top a cupcake with a few flowers. Even if you choose not to eat the flowers, their beautiful colours will entertain children.

Buy Nasturtium Seeds

6. Marigold

Marigolds are a fun flower to grow right from seed. There are many varieties available, the colour choices are endless. Marigolds’ flower petals are edible too. These flowers are so simple to grow and produce many flowers. Marigolds are a good option for both containers and garden borders.

Buy Marigold seeds

7. Purple Cone Flower

We love our Purple Cone Flowers (also known as Echinacea). Purple Cone Flowers are a perfect flower to grow with children who are interested in learning about butterflies and bees. Butterflies find the purple-colored flower heads a lovely spot to stop and eat. Every year we see dozens of butterflies and many more bees resting on our Purple Cone Flowers.

Buy Purple Cone Flower Seeds

8. Sunflowers

Growing a sunflower from a simple seed is an amazing experiment for any child. Watching the transformation is remarkable. Once the sunflower’s head is fully developed children can learn how plants feed wild animals..feed the birds and the fallen seeds feed squirrels. Sunflowers take some time to grow, but the end reward is HUGE.

Buy Sunflowers Seeds

9. Ornamental Grasses

Okay, so ornamental grasses might not technically be “flowers”, but they are an incredible addition to any kid-focused garden. There is an endless variety of ornamental grasses, with different colourings, different heights and different plumes. Ornamental grasses captivate children. As they blow and dance on the wind they rattle together and are almost melodic. We keep our grasses standing all winter long. In the winter, they sound like a trickling rain stick.

Beyond the sounds they make, they are fun to cut and play with or use the plumes to like a natural paint brush. A really versatile plant.

10. Snapdragons

How simple is a snapdragon? Snapdragons grow well in containers or along the border of a garden. Children simply love “snapping” the little flower heads. We plant snapdragons in our little fairy gardens…fairies and dragons seem to go together so well.

Buy Snapdragons seeds

There is so much for children to learn in a garden, and flowers are one of areas to explore. When we make connections with our children and flowers a whole new world of discovery opens up.

If you enjoyed this post you may want to check out my post about growing plants from seed and creating a fairy garden

Happy spring and happy gardening!

In my “previous life” I was a mental health professional…in my current life I am a stay-at-home mom with 2 beautifully adventurous kids. I  share everything that lands on my kitchen counter over on my blog, Kitchen Counter Chronicles. Swing by and learn how we are greening their lives; what we are crafting, cooking and reading. While you will often us inside the kitchen, you will also find us out and about getting our hands dirty, exploring and learning outdoors.

You can also follow Kitchen Counter Chronicles on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Click here to explore 30+ Kids in the Garden Activities

We are so excited to have so many parents and teachers excited about gardening and learning with their children!  To find out more about our month of Kids in the Garden; Learning and Growing click here.

Which flower is your child’s favorite?

This is ours… Zinnia Seeds

Looking for more activities for kids in the garden with flowers?

Click on the images below to explore

Click for more Gardening with Kids

We had so much fun making these planters and picking out our flowers. They look amazing on our balcony and bring in some much needed color after all of the cold winter weather.

This is a great project for kids of all ages, but because the cinder blocks are quite heavy kids will need some help moving the blocks around. We used outdoor patio paint to ensure that the planters would be weatherproof and able to stay outdoors. I am choosing to keep our planters on our covered balcony just to keep the colors nice and bright.

Make your own painted cinder blocks

Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links included

Supplies for painting your cinder blocks

• Cinder blocks
• Weatherproof outdoor paint. I found DecoArt outdoor patio paint at our local craft store. It is weatherproof and self-sealing so no sealer is needed plus it comes in lots of fun bright colors.
• Painters tape
• Foam brushes
• Plastic lids or containers to use as paint palettes

Instructions for painting your cinder blocks

1. Lay down newspaper or a drop cloth before starting. If your cinder blocks are dirty, make sure to wipe them down and let them completely dry before painting. Place your cinder blocks on top of the newspaper and get your paint and brushes ready. I found that foam brushes work best with this project, they spread the paint nicely and are easy for kids to use.

Related: Mini Plant Pots – an Easy Upcycle Craft for Kids

2. Using painters tape, create your designs on the cinder blocks. We went super simple and stuck with geometric lines. My 7-year-old daughter did this step on her own while my 5-year-old needed a bit of help. Depending on where your planters will be, you can choose to do all sides or just the sides that will be showing. Make sure to press the tape down really well so the paint doesn’t bleed through.

Don’t worry about measuring or making sure that their lines are straight, they will look amazing! My son only wanted to use tape on a couple of sides and his planter still looks great.

3. Once everyone is done creating their patterns out of tape, using one color at a time, let the kids paint in their designs. This part is fun! My kids loved choosing their colors and painting their cinder blocks.

After they have finished painting, you need to let the paint dry completely. The instructions on our paint were to let everything dry for 72 hours. You can take the tape off after a couple of hours or wait, I found it didn’t make a difference.

Supplies for creating your painted cinder block planters

• Landscape fabric
• Scissors
• Rocks
• Decorative rocks (optional)
• Flowers
• Extra dirt
• Small shovel

Instructions for creating your painted cinder block planters

1. Choose the flowers or type of plant you want to use. We chose primulas and had fun picking our own color of plant out. I am hoping to plant marigolds in them in June or July to last into the early fall. Succulents would also look great, it really depends on where you live and what kind of light/direction your planters will be facing.

Related: Handmade Coasters with Pressed Flowers and Washi Tape

2. Because there is such a big hole at the bottom of the cinder blocks, you will need to use some landscape fabric. Cut out your fabric, this step is best done by an adult, and place the fabric into your cinder blocks. Fold down or cut the top of the fabric so it will not show after you have planted your flowers. Cut a second piece of landscape fabric, fold into a square and place at the bottom for extra support.

3. Add in a couple handfuls of rocks to help with drainage. Add in your dirt, just enough to cover the rocks, you can always add more dirt after.

4. Plant your flowers! Take them out of the pots, loosen the roots and dirt and place them into the cinder blocks. Add more dirt on top and on the sides if needed. This will be messy, your kids might want to wear gardening gloves like my daughter did.

5. This step is optional but I think looks really great! You can add decorative rocks on top of the dirt to finish it off. We choose white rocks, but any color would work.

We had so much fun with this garden project, my kids loved creating their designs on their cinder blocks and picking out and planting their flowers. Our painted cinder blocks brighten up our balcony and were such a fun spring activity for us to do as a family.

Pin this project for later

You can find Angela at Projects with Kids where she shares fun and creative art and craft projects for kids of all ages. She lives on the west coast of Canada and is a mom to two very energetic and creative kids who love doing projects of all kinds and getting their hands messy. With a background in teaching, visual arts, and graphic design, Angela loves creating and having fun with art and sharing her ideas with her readers.

For more gardening ideas with Kids CLICK HERE

Click for more Gardening with Kids

Let’s explore the nature-inspired books from the garden with your child.

Gardening Books for Kids

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I am a FIRM believer in getting kids in the garden to learn and grow. I would also admit that I am a book addict. My Master’s degree is in Reading Education K-12, so you know I’m a fan of reading with and to kids!  

In fact, we have thousands of children’s books in our home. I am trying to be better at whittling down our book stash so our home library doesn’t get too overwhelming, but then I find another one to add to our collection.  

We do not own a television and so the kids read often, especially when I am busy cooking dinner!  For me books = sanity. When building a collection of books for kids with a gardening theme, you do NOT need a ton of books. I have a bunch because I enjoy them immensely, but I also make use of our library and check many out from there as well.

I’ve linked each of these up to our Amazon Affiliate account just in case you decide you want to purchase one.  All Opinions are written on my own.

How to Build a Thematic Garden Book Set

In this article, I will explain how I would make a garden theme “love books basket” for our garden unit. This gets kids reading for depth and breadth on a particular topic and encourages them to explore reading for a variety of purposes. I like to display them in a basket and read them for about a month before rotating to the next theme.

You can also make a collection and then loan the collection to a trusted friend for a month too.  Then your hard work curating the set can be used by more than one family!

Choose 1-2 “how-to” or “activity” Gardening books such as the ones pictured below.

• Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy
• Let’s Get Gardening by DK
• Gardening for Kids: Learn, Grow, and Get Messy with Fun STEAM Projects by Brandy Stone
• Gardening Lab for Kids: 52 Fun Experiments to Learn, Grow, Harvest, Make, Play, and Enjoy Your Garden by Renata Brown
• The Ultimate Step-by-Step Kids’ First Gardening Book by Jenny Hendy
• The Garden Classroom: Hands-On Activities in Math, Science, Literacy, and Art by Cathy James
• Gardening Projects for Kids by Jenny Hendy
• The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher
• Green Thumbs: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening by Laurie Carlson
• Square Foot Gardening with Kids: Learn Together by Mel Bartholomew
• Kids’ Container Gardening: Year-Round Projects for Inside and Out by Cindy Krezel
• Touch a Butterfly: Wildlife Gardening with Kids–Simple Ways to Attract Birds, Butterflies, Toads, and More to Your Garden by April Pulley Sayre
• Ready, Set, Grow!: A Kid’s Guide to Gardening by Rebecca Spohn
• The Best-Ever Step-By-Step Kid’s First Gardening by Jenny Hendy
• Fun Gardening for Kids: 30 Creative Outdoor Projects by Jenny Hendy
• Good Growing: A Kid’s Guide to Green Gardening by The Editors of Klutz
• A Kid’s Guide to Regenerative Agriculture by Lauren Lovejoy
• The No-Dig Children’s Gardening Book by Charles Dowding

Add in 4-7 Fiction Gardening Stories

• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
• My Garden by Kevin Henkes
• Who’s in the Garden? by Phillis Gershator
• How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
• A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Aston
• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
• The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
• Garden Wigglers: Earthworms in Your Backyard by Nancy Loewen
• We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines
• In a Garden by Tim McCanna
• GROW: How We Get Food from Our Garden by Karl Beckstrand
• Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole
• How Groundhog’s Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry
• From the Garden: A Counting Book About Growing Food by Michael Dahl
• Grandma’s Gardens by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton
• The Bad Seed by Jory John
• Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn
• We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines
• Grandpa’s Garden by Stella Fry
• Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood by Tony Hillery
• The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
• The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton
• Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden by Edith Pattou

And toss in a bunch of non-fiction text. At least 5 (in my opinion)

• From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
• What’s Inside A Flower? by Rachel Ignotofsky
• From Seed to Plant by Allan Fowler
• Roots by Vijaya Bodach
• Eyewitness Explorers: Flowers by David Burnie
• Life Cycle of a Sunflower by Angela Royston
• From Seed to Sunflower (Lifecycles) by Gerald Legg
• Carrots Grow Underground by Mari Schuh
• The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer
• National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant by Kristin Baird Rattini
• A Seed is the Start by Melissa Stewart
• National Geographic Readers: Plants by Kathryn Williams
• I’m A Seed by Jean Marzollo
• The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons

Then snuggle in and read with your little ones!  Talk about what you are reading, then head outside to the garden!

For more kids in the garden articles, stop by here. Or visit one of these related articles:

Gardening Activities for Kids

• 10 Flowers to Grow with Kids
• Getting Started in 3 Easy Steps by Birute Efe
• Printable Seed Activities for Kids
• Giving Kids Ownership in the Planning Phases of Gardening by MaryAnne
• Gardening Activity Ideas for Kids

I know I have missed a ton of GREAT gardening books for young readers 0-7.

Which book would you add to your gardening book collection?

Earth Day on its way and one of our favorite ways to celebrate is with great picture books to help your child learn why we should care for our planet and what Earth Day is all about!

Earth Day is celebrated in April every year, but here at The Educators’ Spin On It, we believe that the earth should be celebrated each and every day.

Grab a good book and an earth day activity for kids.

Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links to books.

Earth Day Books and Activities for Kids

Choose a book.
Then do an activity!

Earth Day Activities for Kids

Click on the sentences below for a detailed description of each earth day activity.

• Plant a seed with your family.
• Visit a local park.
• Make a healthy earth day snack
• Make a chalk earth.
• Let your children explore nature.
• Make upcycled stacking blocks for babies.
• Visit a zoo and learn about animals.
• Make an earth day craft.
• Climb a tree.
• Host or attend a party for the planet
• Learn about land and water.
• Play outside.
• Make an upcycled cardboard box toy.
• Go on a Virtual Field to learn about the Earth

Earth Day Books for Kids

The EARTH Book by Todd Parr

Earth Day Every Day by Lisa Bullard

The Earth And I (Rise and Shine) by Frank Asch

Big Earth, Little Me by Thom Wiley

Earth Day–Hooray! (MathStart 3) by Stuart Murphy

Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth

This Is Our Earth

Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet by April Pulley Sayre

My Friend Earth: (Earth Day Books with Environmentalism Message for Kids, Saving Planet Earth, Our Planet Book)

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers

Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years (Our Universe)

One Earth by Eileen Spinelli

Happy Earth Day by Deborah Hopkinson

Heal the Earth by Julian Lennon

I Am Earth: An Earth Day Book for Kids by Rebecca and James McDonald

The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein

Black Beach: A Community, an Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day by Shaunna Stith & John Stith

WE ARE ALL CONNECTED: CARING FOR EACH OTHER & THE EARTH by Gabi Garcia

How the Crayons Saved the Earth by Monica Sweeney

The Earth Gives More by Sue Fliess

Our Planet! There’s No Place Like Earth by Stacy McAnulty

Dear Earth…From Your Friends in Room 5 by Erin Dealey

Books to Celebrate Earth Day that Encourage Recycling

Recycle!: A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons

What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet by Jess French

Recycling! (Helping Hands Series) by Jess Stockham

Curious George Discovers Recycling (science storybook)

Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug by Ellie Bethel

Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel

One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia (Millbrook Picture Books)

The Adventures of an Aluminum Can: A Story About Recycling (Little Green Books)

The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle: A Story About Recycling by Alison Inches

I Can Save the Earth!: One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle by Alison Inches

This Class Can Save the Planet by Stacy Tornio

The Life of a Little Cardboard Box by IglooBooks

Books to Celebrate Earth Day with Your Favorite Characters

Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration

Fancy Nancy: Every Day Is Earth Day (I Can Read Level 1)

How to Help the Earth-by the Lorax (Dr. Seuss) (Step into Reading)

It’s Earth Day! (Little Critter) by Mercer Mayer

Earth Day Book Extensions

There are so many great books to read with your child as they explore the earth.

Here are our 100 Earth Day Activities that you can do after you read this fun Earth themed stories.

We’d suggest starting with a virtual tour of the earth on a Virtual Field Trip!

Seed Activities for Kids

Seeds are tiny treasures packed with potential, and they’re the perfect way to introduce kids to the wonders of nature and science. Whether you’re planting a garden, exploring a sensory bin, or doing a fun science experiment, seed activities offer endless opportunities for hands-on learning and discovery.

In this post, you’ll find a collection of fun facts, creative crafts, simple science experiments, and playful learning ideas that will spark curiosity and help your child grow a love for plants—from the tiniest seed to a blooming flower or tasty vegetable!

Fun Facts About Seeds for Kids

Here are 5 fun and simple seed facts perfect for early childhood education:

• Every Plant Starts as a Seed – All flowers, trees, fruits, and vegetables start from a tiny seed! It’s like a little baby plant waiting to grow. Seeds contain everything a plant needs to grow, like a tiny plant inside a protective shell.
  
• Seeds Come in All Shapes and Sizes – Some seeds are tiny like poppy seeds, and some are huge like coconut seeds! They can be round, spiky, or even shaped like hearts.
  
• We Eat Seeds Every Day – Kids might not realize it, but foods like sunflower seeds, corn, peas, and even nuts are seeds we eat! Many animals and humans eat seeds, like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and beans.
  
• Animals Help Seeds Travel – Birds, squirrels, and even the wind help move seeds to new places where they can grow. Some seeds even hitch a ride on your clothes! Some seeds have wings to fly, others hitch a ride on animals, and some float on water,
  
• Seeds Need Just the Right Things to Grow – Seeds need water, soil, and sunlight to grow into plants. But they also take little naps underground before they sprout.
  
• Largest Seed Collection is at the Millennium Seed Bank – it is the most diverse wild plant species genetic resource in the world, with over 2.4 billion seeds representing 39,000 different species. Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Ready to dig into learning and fun?

Join us for our Plants and Seeds Camp—a week full of hands-on activities, playful learning, and outdoor adventures perfect for toddlers and preschoolers! Don’t miss this chance to spark your child’s curiosity about nature while building early literacy and learning skills.

DOWNLOAD NOW and get everything you need to start planting the seeds of discovery and joy!

Science Activities with Kids

Seeds are tiny miracles just waiting to be explored—and they offer endless opportunities for hands-on science learning with kids! Whether you’re planting a spring garden, conducting a kitchen science experiment, or creating a miniature greenhouse on your windowsill, seeds are a simple and powerful way to introduce children to the wonders of biology, botany, and ecology.

This section is packed with fun and educational seed-based activities for kids of all ages. From sprouting peas in a ziplock bag to building a bean space garden or investigating how seeds travel, these projects make science exciting and accessible. You’ll also find tips for growing vegetables and flowers, exploring microgreens, and even harvesting your own seeds.

So dig in—whether you’re a parent, teacher, or curious kid, there’s something here to spark your imagination and grow a love for science from the ground up!

Inspire your little scientist with this Seed Germination Science Experiment.

Learn How to Save Seeds with your child.

Do a science experiment by comparing growing transplants vs. seeds at home.

Explore the best flower seeds to plant with your child

Get a look at the best vegetable seeds to grow with kids

Best flowers to use for weeds, wildlife, picking and more

Explore the Mystery of Seed Germination with water beads and a jar

Get your hands in the soil with learning How to Start Seeds Indoors

You can Explore Heirloom Seeds with Kids to start your garden

Learn how you can Harvest Coriander Seeds by growing cilantro

Get started with a bottle and water to discover Hydroponic Gardening with Kids – Bean Space Garden

Got a window? Try this STEM Gardening- Paper Plate Greenhouse

Create an Edible Sensory Herb Garden from Seeds

Pull out some of your fruits and vegetables to start Exploring Seeds in the Foods We Eat

Take a look up close to discover Are Seeds the Same? Preschool Science Investigation

Ever wonder How Do Seeds Travel? Try this science lesson

Get our Plant and Seed Mini-Camp

Inspire your young scientist with this Plants and Sunlight Experiment

Do you have pine cones? Try this Pine Tree Seed STEM Activity

Get an upclose view by exploring Growing Seeds – Kids Science

Discover How to Make Seed Bombs with this recipe

Try this hands-on fun with this Sunflower Seed Sensory Play and Investigation

Want to grow sunflowers? Try this Sunflower Seed Growing Lesson

Create your own adorable Water Cress Heads with Eggs

Get your seeds started with this Plastic Cup Greenhouse

Discover the best Quick Growing Seeds for Kids

Have some birdseed around the house, try this Birdseed STEM Experiment

Discover how easy it is to for How to Make Grass Head Plants

Get started with this Easy DIY Lemon Seed Starter Kit

Did you know you can make seeds dance? Try this Dancing Apple Seeds Experiment

Get a little artistic with this sweet Egg Head Planting Activity

Try this budget friendly way of Starting Seeds in Ziplock Bag

Get a upclose view of your seed growing by learning how to Grow a Seed Jar

Learning How to Grow Peas with Kids in your garden

Growing Carrots with Kids

Growing Kale with your Child

Growing Zucchini at Home

How to Grow Potatoes at Home with Kids

Kids Can Grow Microgreens!

10 Reasons To Start Your Microgreen Garden

Growing Microgreens: A Fun, Educational Activity for Children

Project-Based Learning to Grow Microgreens

Growing Microgreens

Did you know? The Svalbard Global Seed Vault safeguards duplicates of 1,301,397 seed samples from almost every country globally, with room for millions more. Its purpose is to back up genebank collections to secure the foundation of our future food supply.

Fine Motor Seed Activities

Tiny seeds are perfect for tiny hands! These fun and simple activities help kids build fine motor skills while exploring the textures, shapes, and sizes of different seeds. From sorting trays to sensory play, these hands-on experiences keep little fingers busy and curious minds engaged!

With a few clay pots, you can learn How to Make Seed Sorting Activity

Grab a plastic try to create this hands on Seed Sorting Activity Tray

Grab your seed packs to create a Seed Sorting Sensory Activity for Kids

Math Activities with Seeds

Who knew seeds could help kids grow their math skills too? From counting and measuring to skip counting by tens, these playful seed-based math activities make learning numbers feel like a garden adventure.

With hands-on fun like sensory bins and seed crafts, kids will be building their math muscles while having a blast!

Don’t have seeds, no worres you can download our Tiny Seed Activity Unit for Kids for counting

Explore how tall plants with grow this this Measurement Garden: Spring Math Activity for Kids

Seeds make perfect counter! Get Hands on fun with this Counting Seeds Sensory Garden Bin

Practice skip counting with this Counting By 10s Seed Craft

How tall will it grow? Discover this Measurement Activity with Bean Seeds and Plants

Literacy Activities with Seeds

Seeds aren’t just for growing plants—they’re also perfect for growing literacy skills! These fun and interactive seed-themed activities help kids explore the world of words while playing, reading, and learning.

From ABC sensory bins to rhyming flower games, these activities make reading and writing as exciting as planting a garden!

Explore our collection of the Best Books About Seeds For Kids

With some sunflower seeds and cardboard tubes, you can create this Alphabet Sensory Bin

Grab a few seeds to make this Easy Seed Name Activity for Preschoolers

Word on word families with this adorable Rhyming Flowers Word Sensory Bin

Explore the popular book by Eric Carle with these fun The Tiny Seed Activities

Discover a week full of Nuts and Seeds Playful Preschool Ideas.

Seed Art Artivities

Get ready to create some seedy masterpieces! These arts and crafts activities let kids turn tiny seeds into big works of art. From making bean animals to designing colorful seed mosaics, there’s no limit to the creative fun.

Plus, with projects like plantable seed paper and recycled seed bombs, your little artists can make nature-inspired gifts that keep on growing!

Grab a paper plate, beans, glue and paint to create your own Bean Mosaic Art

Create a keepsake with seeds by making this Air Dry Clay Seed Mosaic Craft

Create gorgeous art with this colorful Bean Art Animals

Make Your Own Seed Paper.

Grab some cardboard and glue to make your own Seed Mosaics

Make some hands on colorful fun with learning How-To Color Pumpkin Seeds

Explore this collection of Seed Art Ideas for Kids

Make own own flower with this Sunflower Seed Craft

Create a unique gift ideas with these Recycled Paper Seed Cards

Share seeds with friends and family by making DIY Earth Day Seed Bombs for Kids

Have fun for Earth Day by creating DIY Plantable Earth Paper with Seeds

Make a special gift to share with this Recycled Seed Ball Activity

Printable Seed Activities for Your Child

Ready to grow your child’s math and sorting skills? Download our Sorting Seeds and Learning Numbers Packet today and watch your little one blossom into a math whiz! It’s packed with fun activities to help kids practice sorting, counting, and more—all while having a blast with seeds! Don’t miss out on this exciting learning adventure—grab your packet now and get started!

Download Now!

Seed Videos for Kids

• How Does A Seed Become A Plant? | SciShow Kids
• Facts About Seeds | The Ranger Zak Show
• Seed Dispersal | Next Generation Science
• What Is Seed Germination? | Peekaboo Kidz
• The Seed Song – What Do Seeds Need?
• Scarf Song: A Little Seed
• How to Grow Microgreens from Start to Finish
• The Seed Song – What Do Seeds Need? | Let’s Roll Snowball
• Seed Song – How Seeds Move | Mr. R.’s Songs for Teaching
• How do seeds get around?! (in MACRO!) | Maddie Moate
• EXPLODING seed pods make Sir David Attenborough laugh | BBC
• One Seed | Laurie Berkner
• Bean Time-Lapse – 25 days
• Exploding Seed Pod – Slow Motion
• Dandelions in the Wind….. Slow Motion
• Sunflower germination time-lapse
• Facts About Seeds | The Ranger Zak Show
• Inside the Svalbard Seed Vault
• Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst

Want more? Explore our 30+ Gardening Activities for Kids!

Seeds may be small, but they hold big opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection with nature. Whether your child is planting their first garden, sorting seeds in a sensory bin, or watching sprouts grow in a window, these simple activities help nurture curiosity and a love for the natural world. We hope this collection of seed activities inspires you and your little ones to dig in and grow something wonderful together. Happy planting!

Don’t forget to grab your Sorting Seeds and Learning Numbers Packet—a fun, hands-on way to build early math skills while exploring the magic of seeds! [Download it here!]

You may also enjoy these activities with your child…