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Gardens are wondrous playgrounds of exploration. From the preparation of Earth’s soil, to discovery of the smallest of creatures inhabiting the garden beds, to the miracle of plants springing forth from the tiniest of seeds- the garden is nature’s classroom for children. Whether the garden is planted with flowers, fruits and vegetables, or kitchen herbs, children marvel at what is produced from the work of their hands.
When we begin our garden each year it is usually with an initial mowing and pulling of weeds. Once all of the weeds are out, we tend to our raised garden beds. We choose raised beds because our soil is not very conducive to vegetable gardening. It lacks nutrients and doesn’t drain well. We used a design from pinterest linked to ana-white.com.
If there are any repairs to be made to the beds, we do the repairs next. The children enjoy hammering nails and the feeling of accomplishment at being able to help. Once that is completed, we add additional garden soil with extra nutrients to improve the soil added the previous year. The children thoroughly enjoy using the hoe and the rake to turn the new soil over with the older soil. The action of pulling the hoe and rake stimulates the proprioceptive system. For children needing extra sensory processing input, raking and hoeing is an excellent activity.
Next comes planting the seeds! This is a fabulous sensory experience for children. They enjoy the texture of the soil, feeling it on their hands- and if there is a bit of water in it that makes it even better! The moist soil can be molded, dug, poked- all fun preparation for planting the seeds. Caring for the seed beds involves careful weeding and the children learn to visually identify and discriminate between their growing seedlings and weedy plants that don’t belong in the bed. They refine their fine motor muscles by gently pulling the weeds and not dislodging the seedlings. The children are thrilled when the tiny shoots finally pop through the surface of the bedding soil and are amazed to consider that the little plant came from inside the seed! This can also lead to wonderful object lessons that teach spiritual truths. But we’ll save this for an entirely new post!
Math is introduced by using calendars to count the number of days it takes the seed to produce a plant that is mature enough to eat. Measuring is also a great extension. It could be measuring the growth of the plants, the volume of water used when watering the plants, and/or counting the number of fruit each plant bears! Just a little imagination and-voila!- a teachable moment!
Finally, children can hardly wait for harvest time! Again, teaching how to pick or pull plants gently so as not to disturb surrounding plants refines those very important fine motor muscles of the hand. Then- to the kitchen! Children absolutely love helping in the kitchen! To find child-size food preparation tools you can visit http://www.MontessoriServices.com. There you will find just about anything and everything you could possibly need to give your child that special cooking experience in the kitchen.
What a proud and esteeming moment when your child lays the table with a dish of food that he or she has prepared from what he or she has patiently and faithfully tended in the garden!
Until next time!
Lorraine
