Watch Garden Storytimes Through the Seasons
The 2025-2026 Garden Storytime Series is made up of LIVE storytimes! Our gardeners will read wonderful garden-themed books with a social emotional focus and have a “show and tell” about interesting plants. Both teachers and students will love these interactive learning sessions! All recordings and resources can be found here!
Fall Garden Storytime
🍁Farm Boots by Lisl H. Detlefsen
We’re kicking off Garden Storytime with a visit to the farm, where gardening happens on a big scale to bring us the foods we enjoy. Farm Boots follows a diverse cast of farming families as they care for the crops and animals on their farms all year long, and bring in the autumn harvest to share!
Watch the Nov. 12 Recording
Winter Garden Storytime
❄️Outdoor Farm, Indoor Farm by Lindsay H. Metcalf
As winter arrives, we’ll explore all the exciting ways people grow food outside AND inside! We’ll join two children as they explore growing food in traditional outdoor settings and indoors year-round with innovations like hydroponics and grow lights. We’ll learn to appreciate all the hard work and expertise of the people who grow our food!
Register Here for the live event on Jan. 21 at 1:00 p.m.
Spring Garden Storytime
🌸Mia Makes a Meadow by Rachel Lawston
Spring is coming, and that means warmer weather and wildflowers! When Mia offers to look after the courtyard garden while her neighbour Erik is away, she tries to keep it just as tidy as he left it. But with no keys to the shed and no mower to mow, the garden starts to grow wonderfully wild. We’ll learn about meadowscaping and caring for pollinators (and one another!).
Register Here for the live event on Mar. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
Summer Garden Storytime
☀️Summer: Errol’s Garden by Gillian Hibbs
With summer arriving, the gardening season is in full swing! Errol loves gardening, but he doesn’t have a “real” garden or a yard. Although his home is full of beautiful plants, he longs for an outdoor space where he can grow things. When he discovers the roof of his building is empty, Errol’s neighbors come together to transform it into a special space for everyone. We’ll learn about community gardens, rooftop gardening, and the power of teamwork!
Register Here for the live event on May 20 at 1:00 p.m.
STORYTELLERS
FALL/WINTER STORYTIMES:
Sarah Pounders has been active in the field of youth gardening for over 20 years. Growing up surrounded by plants instilled a deep love of gardens and the desire to share that love with others. While working toward her master’s degree in Horticultural Sciences at Texas A&M University, she had the opportunity to serve as a school garden coordinator and conduct research on the benefits of using school garden programs to teach nutrition. She went on to work at various botanical gardens, for Cooperative Extension in Virginia and Texas, and since 2005 as an education specialist at KidsGardening.org, coordinating numerous children’s gardens, writing curricula and activities for youth of all ages, teaching formal and informal youth education programs, and conducting teacher training sessions on integrating gardens into the classroom. Sarah also enjoys gardening at home with her two kids and volunteering with their school gardening projects.
SPRING/SUMMER STORYTIMES:
Noel Nicholas (she/her) is the educational content manager for KidsGardening , where she co-develops original educational materials designed to help kids play, learn, and grow through gardening. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from University of Southern California, where she developed a passion for informal education while teaching poetry at 32nd Street School/USC Magnet. Prior to joining KidsGardening, Noel worked as museum educator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, developing and delivering educational programs for diverse, multi-generational audiences, and managing the museum’s Storytime Live program. In her spare time she teaches in the school garden at Third Street Elementary in Los Angeles.
Pinky Jackalope (she/her) is a motivational associate with NHSA. She loves to learn new things and to share them with her Head Start and Early Head Start friends! Pinky’s favorite fruit is a banana and her favorite vegetable is the snap pea. Pinky loves watching flowers and herbs grow in container gardens.
Sponsors:
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation is deeply rooted in helping create healthier communities, empowering the next generation, and preserving our planet. Its support of the National Head Start Association includes providing GroMoreGood Garden grants, garden kits, educational curriculum, and garden training available to all Head Start programs with the goal of creating more edible gardens for young children and their families. The initiative also supports the creation of green space projects—land that is partly or completely covered with grass, trees, shrubs, or other vegetation—as an option for children and the community to learn. Want even more? Check out our Gardening with Kids Basics course provided by The Academy.