Eric Carle Books and Garden Yoga

My daughter’s school is just finishing up with their garden unit. They have been watching a classroom caterpillar as it turns into a butterfly, planting flowers in the front garden, and reading garden-themed books. It’s been fun seeing her get excited about learning – especially because the topic is meaningful to her as she watches the garden grow.

To extend her learning, my daughter and I have been learning about gardening at home. We planted her own special bed of flowers, went to the library to pick out garden books, and have been looking for little creatures that live in the garden. Inchworms are definitely her favorite!

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Garden Animal Books by Eric Carle

This month, Eric Carle is the focus author of the Virtual Book Club for Kids. A young child’s bookshelf isn’t complete without a classic tale by the famous Eric Carle, who has published over sixty children’s books since the 1960s.

At the library, we read Eric Carle’s books that feature gardens and the animals that often live there:

The Tiny Seed

The Grouchy Ladybug

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Quiet Cricket

The Clumsy Click Beetle

The Very Busy Spider

Garden Yoga inspired by Eric Carle Books

Another way to learn about the garden is through movement. So let’s combine garden books by Eric Carle and yoga poses for kids.

To get started, make sure you have a clear space so your little ones can get creative and spread out. Better yet, go out into the garden for some yoga fun. Below, you will find five yoga poses matching the garden items in Eric Carle books. Use this list as a guide or encourage your children to invent their own garden-inspired poses. You’ll be amazed what their imaginations come up with! Make the experience all about having fun with movement, not about getting the yoga “perfect.”

Five garden yoga poses

Cricket – Lizard Pose
(From a plank position, bring your right foot to the outside of your right hand and pretend you are a cricket. Rest your left knee on the ground, if needed. Switch sides.)

Caterpillar – Locust Pose
(Lie on your tummy, lift your chest and shoulders, look up, clasp your hands back behind you, and wriggle like a caterpillar.)

Ladybug – Child’s Pose
(Come to sitting back on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths. Pretend to be a ladybug resting on a leaf.)

Spider – Table Top Pose
(Come to sitting with your palms flat behind you and the soles of your feet flat in front of you. Lift your buttocks to a flat back, and pretend to be a spider.)

Flower – Flower Pose
(Come to sit on your buttocks with a tall spine, lift your legs, balance on your sitting bones, touch the soles of your feet together, and weave your arms under your legs, pretending to blossom like a flower.)

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY OUR GARDEN YOGA CARDS FOR KIDS

LEARN ABOUT THE GARDEN THROUGH SIMPLE YOGA POSES!

Pretend to be a bird, bunny, and butterfly! Instantly download these 52 garden yoga cards to learn through movement in your home, classroom, or studio. Includes an Index Card, Yoga Tips, Pose Instructions, 20 Yoga Pose Cards, and 20 matching Garden Cards. The multicultural yoga kids are from seven countries. Ages 3+.

Purchase Garden Yoga Cards for Kids here.

Garden Yoga Cards for Kids

My daughter being a Spider in the garden by practicing Table Top Pose.

What is your favorite garden-inspired yoga pose?

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Virtual Book Club for Kids

This post is part of this month’s Virtual Book Club for Kids. Join us every month as we explore different authors and offer fun book activities to enjoy the books.

Participating Bloggers: Toddler Approved– The Educators’ Spin On It– Rainy Day Mum– 3 Dinosaurs– Learn~Play~Imagine – Crafty Moms Share – Reading Confetti– Inspiration Laboratories – Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas – Kids Yoga Stories – Enchanted Homeschooling Mom- Ready-Set-Read – Boy Mama Teacher Mama – PlayDrMom – Fantastic Fun and Learning – Growing Book by Book– Royal Baloo – The Outlaw Mom® Blog – Kitchen Counter Chronicles – Teach Preschool – Mama Smiles – Coffe Cups and Crayons – Juggling With Kids – Here Come the Girls