Grade 1
Program overview
Our interactive 1-hour program for students in 1st grade includes a reading of Nelson’s Garden, a group sing-a-long, and a history lesson about who Nelson McNutt really was. This discussion will include touch and see artifacts once owned by Nelson McNutt who was born in 1899 and lived to be 105 years old. We explain how we wrote our story, developed our characters and chose an illustrator while sharing original photos and early sketches from our illustrator, Olivia Bosson. We discuss how important it is for kids to get to know the elders in their life (because they have lots of stories to tell!) and introduce the Nelson's Garden Learning Packet, which each child will get to take home. There will be time for Q&A and we’ll present autographed copies of the book.
10 min
Reading of Nelson's Garden
5 min
Group sing-a-long and creative movement segment which includes our theme song and carefully curated songs reflecting the season of the year. For example, spring/summer songs could include:
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Nelson’s Garden Theme Song
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Touch Your Nose, Touch Your Toes
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A Peanut Sat on the Railroad Track
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The Fishy Song
30 min
Who was the real Nelson McNutt?
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In this segment students will touch and see artifacts once owned by Nelson. Known far and wide for his habit of tipping his hat to passersby, Nelson lived in a rickety old farmhouse he built by hand. Surrounded by an old stone wall, Nelson’s garden was his pride and joy. The children will also see original photos of Nelson and his farmhouse and learn about his early life on the farm, how the property changed over time, his deep love for nature and his unique ability to grow just about anything with his green thumb. One of the first residents of Weston to own a car, Nelson also collected canes, stamps, bibles and old vinyl records.
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How we met Nelson, developed our storyline and characters & chose our illustrator
Children will hear the true story of how we met Nelson McNutt one summer day standing by his mailbox. They’ll learn how we wrote our story years later, developed our characters and found an illustrator to bring the story to life. Students will see early sketches by Olivia Bosson and the real-life photos that inspired her illustrations. We’ll talk to the children about how important it is to get to know the older people in your life - because they have lots of stories to tell!
15 min
Q&A time followed by presentation of autographed copies of Nelson’s Garden, distribution of Nelson's Garden Learning Packets for each child to take home.
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Appearance fee: $350
*this does not include the cost of books. Please let us know how many students are in your class and if you'd like hardcover or paperback.