By ClaireOn
This classic children’s story by Beatrix Potter is brought to life with a lesson on gardens and fresh vegetables followed by a thrilling chase through Mr. McGregor’s garden that your kids will want to do on repeat!

Beatrix Potter originally wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit to send to a sick child to cheer her up while she was bedridden. It was later published in 1902 and now, 120 years later, it is still a beloved classic that millions of children have enjoyed for generations.

This is one book that should absolutely be a part of every child’s library. There is so much to enjoy about it – charming characters, delightful illustrations, adventure, suspense and a witty peek into garden life from the animals’ perspective.

With summer approaching, it’s a great time to get outside in the garden, dig in the dirt and get your kids up close and personal with vegetables in their natural habitat. And sharing a Peter Rabbit adventure with your kids is the best way to do that.

Dust off your old copy, or grab a new one HERE, and let’s make it come to life!

Green Beans, Radishes and Carrots

We have a garden in our backyard that our children love to help tend. We grow peppers, tomatoes, collard greens, kale, onions and a variety of herbs. Our kids like to fill up the watering can and water the beds – or, sometimes, they just spray the hose on it. There’s something about spraying water from a hose that they can’t get enough of!

Our little ones spend a lot of time in the garden and that’s just how I like it. They dig in the dirt, watch the insects that like to frequent our plants, notice the holes in the leaves that those insects leave behind, and my favorite part: they eat the food. They actually eat the vegetables and greens we grow! They will tear off a collard green leaf or a sprig of parsley and just munch away on it.

Now mind you, if I put collard greens on their dinner plate, they wouldn’t touch them. But there’s something about being outside and getting to see, touch and smell the plants that makes just them just curious enough to eat them. Getting to taste the fruit of your labors is irresistible, even to a child. The excitement of watching a pepper first emerge from its bud, gradually grow bigger and finally, finally, after days of asking “is it ready yet,” get to pluck the pepper from its stem and take that first nervous bite. It’s magical. I delight in seeing my children connecting with nature and learning how to cultivate it.

However, our garden is still on the small side. So, when it came time to prepare for our Peter Rabbit garden activity, I had to go get our vegetables the old-fashioned way – at the grocery store.

I selected green beans, radishes and carrots because those were three of the vegetables mentioned in the story and readily available year-round. I chose the carrots that are sold with their leafy tops still attached because those look the most authentic and I wanted our kids to know what a carrot looks like when you pull it out of the ground. I laid them out in the garden bed.

(Yes, I can dream of producing such a bountiful harvest from my little garden!)

Next, we read The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I made sure to point out all the vegetables that Mr. MacGregor grows in his garden.

Then we headed out to the garden to see the vegetables up close. I pointed out each vegetable’s texture – the suede-like skin of the green bean, the rough and dirty skin of the carrots and the firm, shiny skin of the radishes. We smelled their fresh, earthy smell and we wondered about why they each had the color that they did.

We talked about rabbits and the kinds of foods they like to eat. We wondered whether any rabbits had visited our garden and munched on our plants. We pretended to be Peter Rabbit hopping through the garden munching on the vegetables. And then…

Let the Adventure Begin!

I grabbed a plastic rake, announced that I was Mr. MacGregor and started chasing them through our yard! They took off running, giggling and squealing the whole way. They absolutely LOVED it!

Every time I stopped to catch my breath, the boys begged me to do it again. Off we’d go again, me waving the rake and the kids running as fast as they could. I wish I had some pictures from this because it was REALLY a lot of fun but I’ll be honest, it’s pretty hard to chase my kids around the yard waving a rake and take pictures at the same time. So you’ll have to take my word for it. Better yet, go try it for yourself! Your kids will not be disappointed!

Have you read The Tale of Peter Rabbit with your children? I’d love to know how they liked it! Let me know in the comments below.