20th May World Bee Day

The purpose of World Bee Day is to raise awareness of the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy. It provides an opportunity for governments, organisations, civil society and concerned citizens everywhere to promote actions that will protect and enhance pollinators and their habitats, improve their abundance and diversity, and support the sustainable development of beekeeping.

Bees play an important role in pollinating native plants in our Australian ecosystem. The vast majority of global pollinators are wild including over 20,000 species of bees. Australia is home to around 2,000 species of native bees, the majority of which are solitary bees.

This relatively new book will help you explain all this to students in your classes.

There are teacher's notes here to help too.

These two books from CSIRO publishing would also be good to have

These also come with teachers notes. See the CSIRO webpage

Your library might also have this:

Why the 20th May?

20 May is the birth date of Anton Janša (1734–1773), a Slovenian beekeeper, the pioneer of modern beekeeping and one of the greatest authorities on the subject of bees. Slovenia is a nation of beekeepers, and beekeeping there enjoys a status equal to that of other types of agricultural activity.

The library has these books that feature beekeeping and beekeepers:

If you need more bee books look at these Pinterest pages.

19th May World Baking Day

World Baking Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in May each year. This day is dedicated to the art of baking and encourages people around the world to bake and share their creations with others. This day is meant to show people just how much fun it can be to make a cake or some cookies. Baking can be a great way to spend time with family and friends.

Baking is not only a fun and creative hobby, but it also has numerous benefits for your mental health and wellbeing. Here's a few benefits:

• Baking can be a stress-reliever and help you to unwind.

• It can boost your self esteem and confidence as you learn new skills and have success.

• Baking can be a social activity, allowing you to do it with others and build relationships.

So many children's picture books include a recipe, meaning that if you want to,  baking can happen as a result of reading the book. See these:

And if you can't bake a cake, bake a story!

19th May World Plant a Vegetable Garden Day

World Plant a Vegetable Garden Day was created to help feed ourselves, our family, and a hungry planet, and encourage people to join in the fun hobby of gardening.

As the old saying goes….. “Give a man some vegetables, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to grow a vegetable garden, and you feed his whole family for life!” 

Let's substitute the word 'child' for 'man'.

This day is very relevant considering food shortages and supply issues. The good news is anyone can grow something. It doesn’t take a large plot of land. All you need is some sun, water, and a container with soil, something that is very easy to do with children. In fact the Kindergarten classes at school are doing it right now. 

Some schools even have a vegetable garden that is tended by the students and then also eaten by the students. In Australia this idea of kitchen gardens was created by chef Stephanie Alexander. Our school recycles food waste as compost and has a worm farm to help with growing the vegetables. 

Our library has a multitude of gardening books, stories about gardens, procedural books about things like composting...

These are some that work for the idea of children gardening and growing their own vegetables.

Brand new and with the most wonderful endpapers with instructions on how to make things to do with your garden!

Luna Loves Gardening  by Joseph Coehlo

Luna is wowed by her local community garden, there are squashes and runner beans, potatoes and tomatoes and even an apple tree. But each plant hides a story.

Grow Your Own by Esther Hall

Sidney and his mum live a busy life in a busy city. Dinner time is announced by the PING of the microwave, comes out of piping-hot boxes, and is eaten off knees. The closest Sidney ever comes to a vegetable is the mushroom on his pizza . . . and he usually picks that off. But when Sidney goes to visit Granny in the countryside, eating his greens suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting!

Growing Vegetable Soup  by Lois Ehlert

"Dad says we are going to grow vegetable soup." So begins Lois Ehlert's bright, bold picture book about vegetable gardening for the very young. The necessary tools are pictured and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean, pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot). Then the real gardening happens . . . planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, chopping, and cooking! In the end? "It was the best soup ever." 

In Our Garden by Pat Zietlow Miller

Millie has recently moved to a new city, from a place more than an ocean away. More than anything she misses the garden where her family used to grow food. Then one day she has an idea-the school has a fine flat roof, perfect for a garden. Soon her teacher and classmates are on board, but it takes more than ideas to build a garden.

Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root

You might think a farm means fields, tractors, and a barnyard full of animals. But you can plant a farm anywhere you like! A box or a bucket, a boot or a pan — almost anything can be turned into a home for green, growing things.

Water Weed and Wait by Edith Hope Fine

When Miss Marigold challenges the kids at Pepper Lane Elementary to turn an unpromising patch of their schoolyard into a garden full of fruits, flowers, and vegetables, they know they'll need all the help they can get. Soon everyone in the community is lending a hand--including an unlikely neighbour with a soft spot for gardening.

Eddie's Garden by Sarah Garland

What makes Eddie's garden grow? Earth, rain, sun and all sorts of creatures, of course! The book includes full information on growing a garden like Eddie's in a home garden or even indoors.

My Delicious Garden  by Anne-Marie Fortin

In the depths of winter, one young girl is already dreaming of planting her very own vegetable garden. She sketches out the rows of lettuce, the trellis for the peas, and a large plot for the tomatoes while she waits for warmer weather.

How Does My Garden Grow?  and 

How Does My Fruit Grow? by Gerda Muller

Sophie loves visiting her aunt and uncle in the countryside and learning all about the fruits that grow in their garden: strawberries, redcurrants and cranberries.

Plant It! Grow It Eat It by Kathryn Selbert

Follow along as four kids grow gardens across balconies, backyards, greenhouses, and rooftops. See how the kids plant seeds, harvest yummy foods, and share a big meal!

 

Lottie and Dottie Sow Carrots  by Claire Burgess

Lottie and Dottie Grow Pumpkins by Claire Burgess

And a choice of some nonfiction.

18th May International Astronomy Day

International Astronomy Day is a holiday that is celebrated not once during a calendar year but twice a year – once in spring and once in autumn. The purpose of this holiday is not only to celebrate astronomy and all of its contributions to society but also to bring the general public together with astronomy professionals and groups.

Astronomy goes all the way back to antiquity and is in fact, one of the oldest natural sciences in the world.

Of course you can just go outside and look up at the sky, but to know what you are looking at, you may need to look in a few books first.

Do you have a telescope? What can you do with a telescope? What will you see?

These books will help answer these questions.

Some books that will help with knowing what you're looking at:

This is a new Australian book from the CSIRO and a book by Australian astronomer Lisa Harvey-Smith.

Then if you know a child who is astronomy-mad and sees their future being a contributor to that world, explore some of the wonderful picture book biographies about famous space devotees.