This week is “Garden School”. We’re learning about plants, flowers and seeds. I absolutely love talking about plants because there is so much plant and growing imagery in the Bible!

It also works well because we just finished planting our own garden in the backyard! I want my kids to be attached to the earth in this way–to have them see seedtime and harvest. To experience the big miracle of a small seed producing fruit! It’s such a great picture of the seeds of God’s Word planted in their hearts and the harvest it will produce.

We’ve done a few fun plant activities…

Flower Matching: I made the flower on the left with craft foam. Asa copied it on the right.

Parts of a Flower: We talked about the roots, stem, leaves, flower and seeds.

We read some even more fabulous seed and plant books…

The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado is kind of a long story. So, your littles may not sit still for the whole thing. But it’s a great story about a little acorn who can’t imagine that he could ever be a big oak like his mother. She tells him to “be the oak God made for you to be”. It’s a great story about growing, the gifts God has given us and trusting in His plan.

I love love love Karma Wilson (author of the Bear series). I didn’t know until recently she had some faith-based picture books, too. Mortimer’s First Garden is a fun story of a little mouse who plants a garden and learns about the miracle of growth from the Creator! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

So, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of Peter Rabbit might be a bit of a stretch–but they do take place in a garden. And they are classic literature your kids should hear. The story is really about the folly of disobeying your parents. Plus, they get disciplined at the end! When was the last time you read a book where a kid actually got disciplined?!

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is also not a Bible-based book. But after reading it I wondered if maybe it was a Christian book because it is almost Matthew 13 exactly! A tiny seed sees his other seed friends fall on different kinds of soils and eventually die or not grow. The tiny seed finally falls onto good soil and grows larger than the trees! Talk about a crop of 100 times!

After reading this book, I read Matthew 13 and we talked about how God’s Word is  seed in our hearts. We need to plant it on good soil, remembering it, reciting it and meditating on it. Then it will grow in our lives! We thought of a few verses like “Put on kindness as if it were your clothes” and “A gentle answer turns anger away”. I encouraged them to see those verses as seeds we want to see grow in their actions. It was a good conversation and I hope they understood!

You don’t have to homeschool to do these activities. Gardening is a great way to teach God’s Word and how to grow in Him. Grab some of these books, plant a seed and do some garden activities with your kids this Spring!

What’s your favorite flower or garden book?

Check out my Spring Has Sprung Pinterest Board for more garden-y fun!

Don’t forget, the Simplify Your Family Life eBook Sale ends TOMORROW at 8am ET. If you haven’t downloaded your ebook bundle, do it now!

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

I know I’ve mentioned some of our favorite Resurrection Day/Easter books in the past few weeks. I know I’ve even blogged about some of them over the years. But as I was looking through my archives, they were not all put together in one nice spot. Until today! If you’re looking for some books that tell the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, you have come to the right place!

1. Benjamin’s Box

Leigh did a beautiful post about this book a few years ago. It goes perfectly with the Resurrection Eggs. You can probably find this one at your local Christian bookstore, so run out and grab it before this weekend!

2. The Legend of the Three Trees

This is a Christmas AND Easter book which is why I love it. It tells the whole story of Jesus’ life.

It’s a beautiful story about 3 trees who want to do big things and really make a difference in the world–as a treasure box, a king’s royal ship and a sign to God. Their dreams turn out differently when they become a manger, a fishing boat and a cross. It might make you cry.

(There are several versions of this book. I have the one above. But I’d really like this one from one of my favorite authors, Angela Hunt. And this one looks nice, too. PLUS, you can see it on YouTube, too!)

3. Jesus Storybook Bible

But, you knew that already.

4. The Parable of the Lily

And again.

5. See With Me Bible

Asa has read this for naps and bedtimes every single day for the past 6 nights. He says, “I know which story I want to read. Jesus dying on the cross.” He LOVES this book. You will appreciate the detail the illustrator has put into cartoon pictures!

{Apparently, this book is out of print. It’s $25+ on Amazon. I found it for $11 on CBD.com but it’s in Spanish, which I guess doesn’t really matter as it’s 99% wordless. The illustrator, Dennis Jones also did my favorite Kids’ Bible called The SuperHero Bible. This would be a good gift for Easter, too!}

6. The Story of the Easter Robin

This one is kind of a hard one for little kids because it’s a folktale within the real Easter story. But I still like it because it’s low on the Easter-bunny side of things. Here’s my original review!

7. Easter In The Garden

This is one of my favorites. The illustrations are adorable, the story is sweet, serious and funny. It’s another one that is a fictional story based during the true story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It’s told from a child’s perspective and that’s why I think it works so well for kids!

8. Easter, Easter Almost Here!

This is a Palm Sunday book and I am bummed because I cannot find the book this year! It’s a fun board book told in rhyme with some modern, sparkly illustrations. This is a great one for littles–and one you’ll be able to quote after a few times through!

9. The Easter Story

This is a straightforward telling of Holy Week. It’s fun because it’s got flaps to lift and has non-scary pictures of the cross.

10. Journey, Easter Journey!

Dandi Daley Mackall is one of my favorite authors. This book is similar to her Thanksgiving book in that it is a rhyme with a repeated phrase. This book is super cool to me because it begins with Christmas and even includes Jesus trip to Egypt as a baby! The illustrations are a little weird to me but I really like the story and rhyme!

Bonus:

The Very First Easter {I’ve actually never read this, but IYK contributor, Leigh posted about it once!}

The Story of the Resurrection Eggswith Miss Pattycake {My kids love Miss Pattycake and if you have the Resurrection Eggs, this is a fun board book to go with them!}

I kinda get riled up about Easter books. So many of them show a bunny, a basket full of eggs and then say, “What is Easter really about?” And all that is fine. It’s good! I want kids to see the differences. But oh, how I want them to know, internalize and love the REAL story of Jesus. The real story of the Resurrection is the best story of all and has stood alone for centuries!

Are there any I’m missing? What’s your favorite Jesus-centered Easter Resurrection Day book for kids?

Our awesome unEaster Basket giveaway is still going on! And don’t forget to check out all our Sense of the Resurrection activities plus, Meaningful Easter posts from more than 50 fabulous bloggers!

linked to Top Ten {Tuesday}

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***

My favorite books are series. I love when you fall in love with a character and then get to read multiple stories about them! Well, I’ve got a super fun HOW TO series to share with you today! And it’s written by one of my heroes, Sally Lloyd Jones (yes, author of the Jesus Storybook Bible)! Ready?

Book One: How To Be a Baby…By Me, The Big Sister

When one of Lydia’s friends, Juliet (from Silly Eagle Books) became a big sister this year, Lydia wanted to give her all the big sister books she collected when Asa was born (I think there were only two. But it was a big deal to Lydia!). So, when we  found How to Be a Baby…by Me, the Big Sister, we knew we had to give it to Juliet when her new baby sister was born!

The Big Sister in the book gives a monologue about the differences between babies and Big Sisters. (“When you’re a baby, you don’t read books. You eat them.”) She also gives tips, instructions and rules about being a baby. (“…and a special plug goes in your mouth. It’s called a pacifier and it’s to stop your scream coming out.”) It is really one of the funniest books I’ve read! It’s as if you interviewed ten 4 year olds about what babies do and compiled them into a book! It is hilarious.

But my favorite part is how it ends–with the big sister and the little baby thinking about when they grow up—and are best of friends! *sniff*

Book Two: How To Get Married…By Me The Bride

My sister-in-law is getting married in August. At her bridal shower last weekend, we didn’t buy her towels or a toaster. We gave her books. (I gave her The Power of a Praying Wifeand For Women Only.) Lydia gave her How to Get Married…by Me, the Bride.

Honestly, at first I didn’t want to read a book about weddings for Lydia. I’m in the don’t-mention-it-for-as-long-as-possible camp!** But this book is SO sweet and SO adorable, I am the one that wants to read it again! It’s the same idea–a little girl explaining how to get married. My favorite part is when she explains the special clothes you have to wear (you can wear a wig or even bunny ears on your head!)

And the ending? Makes my heart ache–she walks away, waving good-bye to her guests while holding her Daddy’s hand! It was all a playdate. And she knows which man to go home with at the end of the day: her Daddy!

Book Three: How To Get a Job…By Me, The Boss

Now, Sally Lloyd Jones has added a 3rd book to her How To series! It’s called, How to Get a Job…by Me, the Boss! Our Big Sister/Bride is a little more grown up (with longer hair, Lydia noticed!) and her little baby brother is getting in on the fun! In this book we learn about all kinds of jobs from magicians to teachers to police officers. There’s even a section on resume writing, “you must write down EVERY SINGLE THING you’re good at on ONE PIECE OF PAPER…sometimes it’s SO HARD to fit everyone on only one page, you just have to use FIVE.”

If you’re kids love to pretend or imagine what it’s like to be someone else, these books are perfect! And obviously, they are pretty fantastic as gifts, too. I just wish I knew someone looking for a job so I could give them this book!

**{FYI: There was one line in the book that raised my eyebrow and has apparently had people writing bad reviews online. She says, “You can marry anyone you like!” which many people have read as a nod to homosexuality. Of course, the book also says you can marry a flower. The entire book is full of marriage inconsistencies. That’s the whole funny point! In fact, when we read that part, Lydia said, “Except you have to marry a boy!!” and laughed and laughed. For us, it was a conversation starter. Not that we had a conversation about sexuality. THAT WAS the conversation! Point being: read it first if it makes you feel weird.}

I was given these books by Random House. But like I said, I had already bought and given one! Then gave away another. So, you can bet all opinions are mine!

***Impress Your Kids has some new digs at ohAmanda.com! Come visit us there for all the Impress Your Kids archives and all our new posts–including our Easter newsblast with fabulous tips for celebrating a meaningful Easter with your kids!***