Children Learn from Growing Things

Thursday 15th February

Children can learn new skills, have fun, play and develop self-confidence by spending time in the garden tending plants and growing their own food. Most children enjoy being outdoors and love digging in the soil, getting dirty, creating things and watching plants grow.

Today, we made a great discovery and found some potted herbs made available from a street nearby. We brought the plants into our classroom to show the children the types of herbs and how we can help these plants grow. A few days ago we observed Lucy, Madec, Harry, Jojo and Gus using the water from the water station upstairs to water our outdoor trees. We had only just had a discussion about extending on this interest over the next month with a planting station within our room using indoor friendly plants with the intention of teaching children that plants are living beings that need to be treated with care and respect but to also encourage children to begin to explore the greater world around them and begin thinking about how things live in nature.

Lucy, Jojo, Harry, Ilaria, Charlie, Ethan and Olympia had a go at patting down the soil and using our spray bottles to water the plants. The children observed how fragrant the herbs were compared to other plants “It smells like food” Said Ethan. “You give it water so it can grow...it will go brown if you don’t give it water.” Said Lucy. “It has a strong smell. I can smell it.” Said Olympia. “Green...give it water.” Said Jojo.

We can see the possible learning outcomes that could derive from planting experiences. Gardening is educational and develops new skills including:

+ Responsibility – from caring for plants + Understanding – as they learn about cause and effect (for example, plants die without water, weeds compete with plants) + Self-confidence – from achieving their goals and enjoying the food they have grown + Love of nature – a chance to learn about the outdoor environment in a safe and pleasant place + Reasoning and discovery – learning about the science of plants, animals, weather, the environment, nutrition and simple construction + Physical activity – doing something fun and productive + Cooperation – including shared play activity and teamwork + Creativity – finding new and exciting ways to grow food + Nutrition – learning about where fresh food comes from.

What a great discovery this was. We cannot wait to develop beautiful and inviting spaces for our children that ignites a passion for the outdoors and understanding about plant life. We will keep you posted on how learning develops within this area as it occurs.