A Year in the Secret Garden

Award-winning authors Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters have co-created A Year in the Secret Garden to introduce the beloved children’s classic, The Secret Garden to a new generation of families. This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book.

A Year in the Secret Garden Projects Include:

12 Gardening Activities that will get your kids outside digging in the dirt and encouraging their imaginations to sprout and grow. Some of the fun includes:

- - Magic Carpets
  - Planting Bulbs
  - Old Man and the Spade Game
  - Bringing in the Evergreen
  - Ice Disks
  - Garden in a Jar
  - Seed Paper
  - Seed Packets
  - Plant Labels
  - Hula Hoop Magic Circles
  - Affirmation Stones

12 Secret Garden Recipes based on events and scenes in the book including:

- - Curry Chicken
  - Ploughman’s Lunch
  - Hot Oat Cakes
  - Toad in a Hole
  - Parkin Cake
  - Robin Cakes
  - Tin Foil Breakfast
  - Ladybug Sandwiches

12 Secret Garden Crafts based on the book:

- - Rangoli
  - Jump Ropes
  - Unique Bird Feeders
  - Wutherin’Wind Flags
  - Oaten Pipes (flute)
  - Nest making
  - Dickon’s Felt Creatures

Beautiful and Extraordinary Cutouts and Paper-crafts designed by Marilyn Scott-Waters:

- - Character cut outs
  - Seed Packets & Plant Labels
  - Paper Garden Model
  - Birds

Explore Edwardian England:

- - The Story of Misselwhaite Manor
  - Learn Old British Money
  - Jump Rope Rhymes
  - Yorkshire phrase Book: Talk like Martha and Ben
  - Victorian Family Life
  - Complete Character Studies

Over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together. A Year In the Secret Garden is our opportunity to introduce new generations of families to the magic of this classic tale in a modern and innovative way that creates special learning and play times outside in nature. This book encourages families to step away from technology and into the kitchen, garden, reading nook and craft room.

Order the print version A Year in the Secret Garden and get 10 Bonus downloads from the book. Now you’ll have to get you started enjoying The Secret Garden right away.

An Added Bonus for both our tree and e-readers. Whether you purchase the print version or the e-version of A Year in the Secret Garden we have a 8.5 x 10 printable PDF poster of original artwork from A Year in the Secret Garden by the Toymaker herself, Marilyn Scott-Waters.

Buy the Book (Amazon)

What People Are Saying

“This book is amazing. I used to teach second grade. I can see using this book with a group of children doing an in-depth study of The Secret Garden. This is a “must have” to go along with The Secret Garden. There are such things as recipes of the times, traditions, and character analysis. After reading the book the first time, I had to read the Secret Garden again. I can’t say enough positives about this book and the ideas and activities it could generate. A Year in the Secret Garden really makes the reader feel that he/she is a part of the Secret Garden.”

Jane Ritz (…)

“I love this book. It is a wonderful, hands on, practical way to take kids on a journey back in time and see how children and families lived in another era. The illustrations are colorful and whimsical. And the activities are fun with directions that are easy to follow. I encourage every family to add this to their home library. And to have a real, full blown, English Garden Tea Party. This is a great book for any family with kids. As a homeschooling family though, a book like this is golden! Such amazing ways to get kids excited about literature, history, even geography!”

Judith Palavecino
(…)

“A Year in the Secret Garden is a treasure trove of activities, crafts, games, recipes and information all related to the classic children’s book, The Secret Garden, bringing to life this wonderful book to a new generation of readers. I cannot recommend this beautifully illustrated and detailed, information-packed book highly enough to parents, homeschoolers, teachers, and librarians.”

Renee, Mother Daughter Book Reviews

“The magic touch of Marilyn Scott-Waters’ illustrations and the creative mind of Valarie Budyar have brought to life an interpretation of The Secret Garden that will surprise and charm readers on every page. This book is a delight to read, and one that will top my list of gifts to give for Christmas and special occasions. The activities and illustrations will appeal to children and adults alike, and would make a suitable gift for either a boy or a girl.”

Marcia Popp (…)