The Runaway Bunny presents lots of learning opportunities.

The Runaway Bunny is a book and about a young, white bunny who wants to runaway from his mother. He suggests many impossible ways that he could leave her; Becoming a boy, a rock on top of a mountain, a little sailboat, and several others. She continually insists on following and finding him. In the end the little bunny decides to stay and be her child. This is an extremely cute story with wacky illustrations and a perfect description of any mother’s love for her child. The Runaway Bunny is written by Margaret Wise Brown, and illustrated by Clement Hurd.

Ways to teach social awareness to children using The Runaway Bunny:

Parents and Family- The little bunny wishes to leave his mother, and run away. She tells him that no matter where he goes, she will follow him and bring him back home to be her boy. If you are the child’s parent, tell them what you would do if they ran away or were missing.

Strangers- It is never a good idea for a young child to go off on their own. The Runaway Bunny puts a cute twist on an important lesson that all kids should learn. Teach your child the danger of running away and talking to strangers.

Art activities you and your child can do:

The bunny imagines becoming many different things when he runs away. Have your child pretend to be one of those and draw a picture of it. Are they are flower? A sailboat? A fish?

Early Home Economics that can be learned with The Runaway Bunny:

In the end of the story, the little bunny stays with his mother and eats a carrot. Have your child help you prepare and eat some of your own carrots.

Recreational activities that you can do with The Runaway Bunny:

The mother bunny tells her boy that she will find him no matter where he goes. Play hide-and-seek with your child. Take turns being the seeker.

Science and Nature With Zinnia’s Flower Garden

Gardening: Help your child plant their own seed, either in a pot or cup inside, or in a garden, and watch it grow. What are some of the things that all plants need? What happens when a plant gets too much or not enough water or sunlight?

Seasons: Spring is the obvious gardening season, but there are plants that grow at all different times of the year. Take a look at how plants differ from season to season. What makes spring the best time of year for growing? How is it harder for plants to grow in Summer, Autumn, or Winter?

Anatomy: Following the pictures inside the book, show your child all the parts of a plant, sprout, and flower. Although humans don’t have roots, stems, or leaves, we do have many different parts and grow just as plants do. Teach your child the words and motions to “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and see how fast you can go.

Use Zinnia’s Flower Garden to Teach Math

Zinnia has a lemonade stand and sells the flowers that she has raised over the spring. Collect spare change and lemonade or flowers and make your own stand. Practice counting money and making change with your child.

Character Building Lessons in Zinnia’s Flower Garden

Work Ethic: Zinnia plants her seeds, pulls out unwanted weeds, waters, and cares for her plants. She works hard to help her flowers grow, and in the end, has a beautiful garden. Work can be a bother at times, but is necessary. Assign your child jobs throughout the day. Keep track of their accomplishments and reward them. Find a way to make their work more fun and also affective.

Patience: Plants, just like people, grow very slowly. Teach your child the importance of patience while you wait for their seed to sprout.

Writing and Language Arts Skills to Teach from Zinnia’s Flower Garden

Every page of the book shows a journal entry from Zinnia’s garden journal. If your child is old enough to write on their own, have them keep a diary recording the changes they observe as they watch their plant grow. If they aren’t yet able to or don’t wish to write, they can draw pictures of the different stages of their plant’s growth. Its not necessary to write every day as plants don’t change noticeably within twenty-four hours. Have them check and log the progress of their plant every three to five days, or as often as they water it.

Using Zinnia’s Flower Garden to Increase Social Awareness

Every flower in Zinnia’s garden is unique, but beautiful. Children are the same. Find some of the things that make your child individual and special. Share some of your unique characteristics as well. What are some ways the two of you are alike? How about your differences? Compare with other friends and family members.

Beautiful Art Skills from Zinnia’s Flower Garden Book

Colors: Flowers come in every color. Take a walk out side and see how many different colored flowers you can find. Have your child draw some of them. Get creative and draw the craziest colored flowers you can think of.

Shapes: Every flower has a different shape to it. Some are circular and others look like hearts. Draw a circle, square, triangle, pentagon, heart, star, oval, and any other basic shape you’d like, each on a separate piece of paper. Let you child turn each shape into a different type of flower.

This whimsical and delightful children’s book is a must-have for any parent’s bookshelf. Use these story stretching ideas to make Zinnia’s Flower Garden as educational as it is fun!