Gardening is a great opportunity to practice some planning and organization. Tune in online for a a Gardening Storytime – a great way to read up on beginning gardening projects for kids. When the weather is right, you will be glad you did! For kids, gardening offers a way to get messy and watch the payoff for their hard work, in the form of growing veggies and beautiful flowers. You can say, “Hey! I grew the thing! Look at the thing that I grew! Isn’t it pretty?” Imagine the Instagram fun! And maybe enjoy a little reading too!
Making a connection between gardening and food is an important skill for small children. Where does food come from BEFORE it is in the grocery store? We can help you get started learning about where food comes from. Gardening can supplement any family learning from home opportunities. Get started with Plant the Tiny Seed, by Christie Matheson.
Talk!
After listening to the gardening storytime, talk about some of the things that happened in the story.
- Have you ever planted any seeds? Did the seed you planted grow? If they did, what did the seeds grow into?
- Can you name any seeds that we eat?
- Can you name the main parts of a plant?
- How do bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds help plants?
Read!
Use your indyPL Library Card to check out books about gardens at any of our locations, or check out gardening e-books and audiobooks from OverDrive Kids right to your device! If you have never used OverDrive before, you can learn how to use it for both e-books and audiobooks.
Click on the book covers below to listen to more video read aloud stories about gardening right now! It’s garden storytime online! Did you like these? You can find more stories at Free Video Read Alouds and enjoy even more themed reading and activity fun at IndyPL’s DIY Online Storytimes at Home.
Community Garden Picture Books
The library is flourishing with wonderful picture books about community gardens for kids. You don’t have to have a “green thumb” to thumb through these books!
How Does Your Garden Grow
This list contains stories and information books all about growing your own garden.
Sing!
Watch how cooperation makes garden grow and sing along, “Together we can make a pretty garden grow!”
Write!
Find some crayons or makers to color a picture, practice writing the letters, or see if you can follow your way through a maze without getting stuck.
Play!
Take a walk and read a story, it’s gardening storytime on the go! We invite you to visit StoryWalk® in Ruckle Street Park at 3025 Ruckle Street. Stroll through the park and read a book displayed in mounted frames. Or Skip. Or gallop!
Join Us for In-Person Storytime!
- Event: Paws to Read at Spades Park
- Date & Time: Saturday, May 17, 10:30am
- Location: Spades Park Branch
- Description: School-aged children who are beginning or reluctant readers are invited to read to a registered therapy dog, who loves to listen to stories. Sign up for a 15 minutes session in a non-judgmental setting. It’s a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence!
- Register Here
- Event: Paws to Read at Fort Ben
- Date & Time: Saturday, May 17, 11:00am
- Location: Fort Ben Branch
- Description: School-aged children who are beginning or reluctant readers are invited to read to a registered therapy dog, who loves to listen to stories. Sign up for a 15 minute session in a non-judgmental setting. It’s a great way to improve a child’s reading skills and self-confidence!
- Register Here
Need Help?
Ask a Library staff member at any of our locations or call, text, or email Ask-a-Librarian. The Tinker Station helpline at (317) 275-4500 is also available. It is staffed by device experts who can answer questions about how to read, watch and listen on a PC, tablet or phone.
Enjoy these e-book and audiobook favorites for kids that highlight Easter traditions from family dinners, reading a child’s version of the Easter story in the Bible, or attending Easter services to dyeing and hiding Easter eggs. 
The Jewish holiday Passover centers around the Seder, a ritual meal at which the family gathers to retell the biblical story of how, in ancient times, the Jewish people escaped slavery in Egypt. This list includes fiction and non-fiction books and online information for children to learn about the meaning of the holiday and the symbolic, but fun Seder meal.
Celebrate Chinese New Year and learn about Chinese culture! Stories about the Zodiac animals, family traditions and the foods that surround the holiday.
There are many holiday favorites to get your family in the holiday spirit from illustrated versions of the Bible to stories about family traditions to the silly antics of favorite book characters celebrating the holiday in their own unique way. Can Bad Kitty even get on Santa’s nice list? There are 25+ in all. That oughta last ya! 
Here are 50+ wonderful Hanukkah stories – so many you can read more than one each night! These selections come from The Sydney Taylor Book Award that recognizes the best Jewish children’s books each year, as well as the PJ Library, and the Association of Jewish Libraries.
It’s true, there’s no day like a snow day! Go out and play, and then cuddle up with some hot chocolate and a stack of these favorite winter tales. 
Many small children don’t find Halloween fun at all! The masks, the jumping out surprises and all the ghosts, vampires & scary looking pumpkins can be too many surprises for little trick-or-treaters. Here are several stories that can help kids manage their Halloween fears. If Arthur & Scaredy Squirrel can do it, so can your child!
