Get Outside And Read: Don and Audrey Wood's "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR"

There is nothing quite like biting into a red, ripe strawberry. Especially biting into a red, ripe strawberry freshly plucked from the plant it grew on! Growing his own feast of red berries was one of S's favorite memories from our garden last summer and has, indeed, been at the forefront of his ambitious plans for this season's garden. So when Y and I were out picking up some pansies last week and I saw a rack of young strawberry plants for sale, I plucked two off the shelf right away. One even had a red, ripe strawberry already on it! Our plant from last year still has a few green leaves and I am eagerly waiting to see if any of the berries that went to seed last season yield us some new, tasty fruits this year. And even though it's early yet and it wasn't even Spring when I hung this basket at our "I Wonder..." Station, I knew the boys would have a great time reading one of our very favorite strawberry themed children's books and replanting their own strawberry plants.

Does a freshly picked strawberry make a sound?
I don't know, but it sounds delicious to me!

Nobody loves a red, ripe strawberry like THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR in Don and Audrey Wood's "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR." What is a little mouse with a red ripe strawberry to do? Heeding his friend's warning, little mouse tries a number of creative tactics to protect his beloved strawberry--but in the end, there is only one way to truly keep THE BIG HUNGRY BEAR away from this red ripe strawberry. Well, all I can say is that it is a good thing neither the mice nor the bear have had to contend with my strawberry loving boys. There truly is no love greater than that of a boy and his freshly picked berry, as seen in this photo from early last summer.


Indeed, growing your own produce can be a delightful way to introduce your little ones to the concept of farm to table--even without the farm. Some garden with children purely for the love of the art and others have an agenda to expose young pallets to new flavors. I would not say that growing our own edible garden has necessarily expanded my pickier eater's pallet and my equal opportunity eater is happy to indulge in any number of foods grown in our own yard, down the street or across the country. Either way, growing something in your garden that everyone loves is a great way to share in the beauty and benefits of gardening together.

When the boys arrived at our "I Wonder" Station, that one berry on the plant was quickly discovered. Y, a little bit overeager to explore the red ripe strawberry may have inadvertently plucked it to an early demise. We took the berry inside, washed it off and somehow managed to share that tiny thing between two hungry bears. Then it was time to dig into our book and activity--transplanting our young strawberry plants (sans the single berry).

The boys' first interest was planting. Y got very involved in digging and scooping potting mix into the pot (and even his brother's pot, who was feeling less inclined initially to get his hands dirty in the soil).

 Our "I Wonder..." Station is designed to spark the boys' curiosity and interest. I don't require that they do anything I've set out or even that they use the materials in a particular order. Y was content to help with the planting, even delicately sprinkling some soil around the edges once I helped him to position his seedling in the center of his pot. Then he wanted to go inside and help my husband make dinner in the kitchen. Meanwhile, S joined me to pour soil into his pot, help position his plant and decide with me where to put them to grow. He wanted to water the plants right away and decided upon using the watering can I keep on our mailbox out front. I offered him to fill it inside if he wanted to, but he preferred to use the water from our spigot jug.

He problem solved getting the jug and watering can to just the right position so he could fill his watering can without it tipping over and spilling out. This process may have involved some troubleshooting and unplanned puddles along the way; gardening is certainly a journey!

Alas, the watering can was full (and heavy!) as he carried it to our thirsty little berry plants. He watered generously and gave our pansies a drink as well. He even watered the lawn! (You're welcome, apartment landscaping team.) Oh, if only those plants were bursting with berries right now! But if we have to wait, we might as well enjoy a good book while we do and indeed, S requested to read through it outside together three times in a row! He especially likes when I put on my deep BIG HUNGRY BEAR voice...

That night we were hit by an unexpected frost that covered our front yard and berry plants in a sparkly layer of ice the next morning. Time will tell how our little plants fared and S already knows from last summer that gardening involves hard work, patience and a huge element of doubt. Sometimes the hard work pays off. Sometimes you can work hard and nature has other plans. Gardens are a great space for practicing success and failure--they are a space where it is OK to try your best and still not succeed. They are a space where it is OK to get dirty, encouraged to question and impossible not to wonder--whether you are a seasoned gardener or lending a green thumb for the very first time like Y will this year. And best of all, having a garden to tend to ensures that we will get outside often whether we are there to weed or read!

Happy Playing!