One thing that I love about books is that they can work as a gateway to a new subject, or a way to reinforce what kids love. For example if your son loves space, it’s a great time to seek out toys, books and DVDs that will heighten that interest. On the other hand, if you want to encourage your kids to get involved with gardening, you can use books to introduce and inform.
I am proud to be a member of the Hidden Valley Ranch Love Your Veggies Mom Panel. We are working together to encourage kids — ours and others — to love their veggies! I hope you’ll check out our posts about ways that we’ve gotten our families more involved with veggies.
Today I am going to share some great books and resources with you that you can use to encourage your kids to get involved in vegetables. It’s proven that kids are more likely to be willing to try something that they’ve helped grow or helped make in the kitchen.
Five of you will win this awesome gift pack worth $250, thanks to the Love Your Veggies campaign.
First — the books:
The Gardening Book is published by DK. Any book by DK is sure to engage and inform the kids who read it. This one has not only gardening information but crafts and activities as well.
The Kitchen Garden Cookbook, also by DK, is an excellent resource for using those fruits and vegetables that you harvest or that you buy farm fresh. You will find recipes as well as preserving tips, conveniently organized by season, and then by fruit or vegetable. And as I expect with DK, there are fantastic pictures throughout that entice you to try to create those same results in your own backyard.
The Edible Garden gives tips for making the most of your garden, whether it’s a small plot in the backyard, containers on the deck, or an herb garden in your kitchen. There are also special tips on ways to get your children involved.
Now — the gear:
My kids loved putting the Root-Vue Farm together (see picture above). I’ll be honest and say that I’m not sure what the quality of the veggies produced will be, but it is so much fun. Everything is included here — seeds, soil (pellets that you add water to, which is also fun), and this awesome planter that you can see through to watch the roots grow. We were able to see some green and some roots within a few days of planting, which is what kids want.
Every gardener needs tools, and so we have a set for kids and adults. Adults can get their hands dirty with the Stainless Steel Gardening Tool Set. If kids have special tools their own size, they are more willing to feel like it’s really their project.
The ToySmith Garden Tote with Tools is cute and functional, and I know that kids will love it.
Two pairs of gardening gloves (kid-sized and adult), as well as plant markers and decorative plant stakes round out the selection.
And don’t forget the Hidden Valley Ranch products, so that you can dress and dip all those tasty vegetables! The winners will receive $15 worth of product.
If you’d like to win (U.S. and Canada addresses are eligible), just leave a comment below. We’ll draw the winners on June 6. Remember FIVE of you have a chance to win.
The winner of the Little Engine that Could DVD (and other items worth over $200) is #39 Becky M.
Written by 5 Minutes for Books managing editor Jennifer Donovan, who is a paid panelist for the Love Your Veggies campaign.
love to win…i love to dig in the dirt and watch things grow..
I’m just getting into gardening and would love to win this!
awesome collection – thanks!
I’d love to win!
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
schnitzomage {at} gmail {dot} com
I love gettin out in the garden with my kids! What a great way to teach them about our planet!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
This package looks amazing! I love that the ranch dressing is included. 🙂
We are always in the garden…even on a rainy day!
Great giveaway, my kids would luv it, thanks.
I could use all the gardening help I can get and I think that this book would be useful.
I love gardening and sharing it with my girls. I am behind this year as my husband is in a cast and I have been doing my jobs and his in the yard
Wow, great giveaway! I would love to have this for my family.
Thanks for the giveaway!
How fun is that! Thanks for the give away!!
Our garden is growing but it needs a good weeding! My kids enjoy the planting but not the weeding. We’re hoping for a large crop of peppers this year to dip into that Hidden Valley Ranch goodness!
pvilletoygirl @ g m a i l dot com
My girls love Ranch dressing and if we grew our own veggies it would be awesome!
I love to plant and especially vegetables. I really need helpful advice and these books would do the trick!
These books would be very useful for my very small garden.
What a fabulous giveaway!
I am grateful to be included in it!
Many Blessings and Smiles:)
Charlotte Kay
Oh, I’d love to win the gardening giveaway thanks
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
Wow, this is really nice. I love the gardening books. I would love to have this.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com
How cool! I just took a horticulture class last semester, so I know how enjoyable gardening can be … would love to give my younger home-schooled siblings some gear that would be educational and fun!
Thanks for the chance to win. =)
I would LOVE this. I am trying to learn to garden and not kill everything. Lol. Thank you so much for this really cool chance.
lewalk(at)hotmail(dot)com
Looks like a great prize package. Me and my 15 year old son love to garden and anything too young for us, we’ll use to get my 7 year old nephew interested in joining us.
please enter me
I always try to plant a few vegetables. I could certainly use new tools and a book for help!
I would love to have fresh veggies and the tools and books would surely be helpful!
A great family project and you have books to help!
5 winners? Wow! Thanks for the chance to win!
My granddaughter would love this, especially the Root-Vue farm.
my son just planted his veg garden we’d love this
nannypanpan at gmail.com
This is an awesome giveaway. Gardening is one of the greatest gifts with good life lessons and great rewards. Thanks for doing it.
My girls would love to help with these tools, and they love Ranch on everything!
I love fresh vegetables and to grow them yourself is very satisfying.
This would be great to have for my small garden.
What a great giveaway, I need all the help I can get for my black thumb 🙂
LOVE to WIN THIS! Please add me to the list, this would be great!!!
ncjeepster@aol.com
I’d love to win. Thanks for the chance.
Thanks for the giveaway
jenhedger at hotmail dot com
I’ve been slowing getting started on our garden this year (every year…) so this would be a wonderful prize to win. Thanks for the chance.
My daughter loves being outside in the flower garden with me. Great prize package! The ToySmith tote is really nice! 🙂
What great products! I love anything that helps get my son more involved in growing things. He loves to help in his grandparent’s garden and it has definitely helped his eating improve.
I love to garden. I have a huge one out this year. Something that the whole family gets in and enjoys to do.
I would LOVE some motivation in my gardening!
janemaritz at yahoo dot com
What a great idea! My daughter is 3 and she loves to plant seeds to watch them grow. We talk about the progress of her plants and talk about how they grow. She gets sooo excited checking them everyday!
My kids love gardening, so this would definitely enhance their summer fun!
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE our veggies and this prize gift pack!!!!
Thanks for the opportunity!
=)
This is a fantastic giveaway. I love to garden and I’m trying to eat more vegetables, including salads with Ranch dressing.
Would love to have.
What a great giveaway! I would love to win this!
gingeroo616 at aol dot com
Veggies and dip! Awesome looking prize packs.
I love to garden and be outside. We will be starting a family this year, and I can’t wait to share my interests with my children!
My kids would absolutely LOVE this! What a fantastic giveaway. I’m a firm believer that if children have a deeper appreciation for growing fruits and veggies they are more likely to eat them! Mine do.. right out of our garden.
Grow my own vegetables, sounds wonderful!
I would love to have a small garden and this would be great help.
Veggies with Ranch, sounds good to me!
What a fantastic idea for my grandkids! We plant a garden every year, and they eat the veggies, but this way they could actually see how they grow. Fingers crossed!
I would love to win this!
wow, I like all of these things. Thanks for the great prize package opportunity.
Sounds great. Count me in please.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
we are finally planting our garden – our daughter loves to help! This is a great prize pack – thanks for the chance to win!
My son would love to have a very small garden. This would do the trick!
My girls love to plant anything. Veggies, or flowers they don’t care. This would be a great family project!
No excuse not to work in a small garden this spring and summer if you win these gifts!
What a great giveaway. Hope I win
I’d love to grow my own vegetables!
I would love to win this!
Great giveaway, I need to go out an weed my garden today.
Yay! This is an awesome giveway! Hope I”m one of the 5!
We have a garden and this would be so wonderful to have. I know my son would love this and feel very involved in our gardening.
So excited! This pack is awesome. Perfect for parents and of course our little garden helpers!
*squee* I’m in! Awesome prize 🙂 I’d like to be entered, please 🙂
What a fabulous prize pack! Thank you for the chance to win 🙂
This is a great thing you’re doing. Would LOVE to win & play with these resources w/ my niece & nephew who are just starting to garden at school (radishes) Thanks for the opportunity! 🙂
I have one kid that helps with the garden…in fact checks it daily. We don’t have much produce yet but lots of plants. I could use this to get more people involved!
Fabulous giveaway! I’d love to be entered. Thanks!
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
What a Great Giveaway
We grow a garden so our kids can see how plants grow and produce food for us. We also want them to appreciate and enjoy fresh food. Nice giveaway!
Looks like fun!
What a great giveaway! We are plowing away with our 4th gardening season (sorry, couldn’t help it) and my son always wants to have his own garden patch, too. :0)
My daughter and i love to garden; unfortunately, we do not seem to have green thumbs. Thus, we need all the help we can get.
Would love to win!
Looks great! Hope I win!
I would love these books for help with my garden
I have a very small garden, but I would love these books for advice.
I would love these books, I need help in the garden!
Great Giveaway! I want to learn how to garden and would love to win to get me started!
I love veggie gardening, so this prize is great! Thank you for the chance to win! 🙂
I am clearly obsessed with gardening and I am happy to admit that. I have expanded my garden to 500 square feet this year and I look forward to feeding my family more healthy choices this summer!
This would be the ideal gift to receive for me!
thanks so much for the chance.
My kids love to take care of the garden with me; awesome giveaway!
This is exactly what I need. Thank you.
What a fun giveaway! I want! 🙂
What a great giveaway! We love to garden!
What a great Giveaway! Thank you for all that you do!
My hubby and I are just starting our first garden this year and that would be awesome to win this! Thank you for the oppurtunity.
I love growning herbs and vegetables, but I have the worst brown thumb. Maybe I could learn a thing or two!
OOOOOOHHHHH Love this. I would love to get this for my little crew that will be descending on my house this summer.
briarroseartstudio.blogspot.com
Great way to introduce gardening to my daughter! Thank you 🙂
My kids would absolutely LOVE this! Thanks for the opportunity.
Wow, what a generous giveaway! We have just started gardening in the past year, and our experiences have been hit and miss. It’s a learning process!
what a great giveaway. Just started some mini sunroom plants with herbs and this would be perfect for when the grandchildren come over.. I would love it as much as them! Please enter me! thanks so much. Of course I know they would want to take it home an dhow could I say no?! smiling… great for their learning about gardening and planting!
Cathy B
pbprojecthope at yahoo dot com
What a wonderful giveaway! Thanks for the chance.
What a great giveaway! I love gardening…