The calendar says it is April 15 but when the school bus pulled up to my neighbor's house this morning, it looked like December 15!
Luckily, my windowsill garden doesn't know the difference! Leaning eagerly towards the light are sprouting peas, lettuce, spinach, beets, and carrots.
Each spring in kindergarten, many teachers choose to grow things with their students. Maybe it is part of the science curriculum or maybe it's presents for Mother's Day but, whatever the reason, planting seeds is a perennial favorite in many a kinder-garden! Haha!
"Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup.
The roots go down and the plant goes up
and nobody really knows how or why
but we are all like that"
Robert Fulghum,
All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten
As a kindergarten teacher, there were several planting projects that I really enjoyed. Grass seed is easy to grow. Each child drew a face with a permanent marker on a styrofoam cup , planted grass seed, and watched his/her Grass Guy or Grass Gal grow green hair! When it was time to take their plants home, they had the option to trim their guy's or girl's hair, or ask for some help tying a bit of ribbon in it to create a ponytail!
It's also fun to watch lima bean or pea seeds sprout in a plastic baggie lined with a folded, wet paper towel. In this way, students can actually see the roots growing down and the stem growing up. One year, after successfully germinating the seeds in this manner, we then planted several of the sprouts in a pot of soil. By the end of the year, we were harvesting edible lima beans! The kids got a kick out of watching me eat them!
Marigolds and zinnias both grow beautifully in styrofoam or plastic cups of soil. However, don't expect them to bloom until they are transplanted into the soil outdoors in summer.
Of course, you'll want to learn songs and poems about planting-- there is no shortage of good ones on Pinterest! And you'll be reading books about planting and gardening; there is an ever-expanding collection of them in the library! Some of my favorites are:
And, naturally, you will keep records of planting dates and plant growth on calendars or in journals. There are lots of good examples on Pinterest, again.
When your room is filled with growing grass guys and girls, sprouting marigolds and zinnias, and germinating lima beans and When your walls display interesting art and charts about plants and planting and When your students have learned some songs or poems about gardening, I hope you will consider having a
Grandparents' Garden Tea Party!
First, think of senior citizens who may help out in your school. They will make lovely guests. Consider your student population: do many of the children have grandparents who live in the community or not too far away? Would they accept an invitation to visit the classroom? Send an invitation home with your students!
 |
| It's impossible to see it but the center of each flower is a school photo of a kindergartner! |
In my classroom, we covered the tables with white plastic tablecloths. I brought in pitchers of iced tea (safer than hot tea, go with herbal tea so there is no caffeine, and with a bit of honey most children enjoy it!) Some years, we baked cookies that morning. Other times, I bought some cookies for the tea party. The children learned to make tissue paper flowers and these were pretty table decorations.
At the party, I would read May I Bring a Friend? It wouldn't be kindergarten without this classic!
My students would read aloud their poems and sing their songs about gardens. We'd serve the iced tea and cookies. Guests would be invited to walk around to view our indoor, windowsill garden.
I always had such a warm feeling after our Grandparents' Garden Tea Party. These members of our society are often so appreciative of gestures like this one. Parents are typically so busy, rushing from one event to another in their children's lives. Grandparents "get it" and will show real enthusiasm and interest in their grandkid's school life. They are often generous with their praise of your efforts with their grandchildren. In short, grandparents will "stop to smell the roses...."
I hope you'll try to have a grandparents' garden tea party !
P.S, I'm happy to be able to share this recent photo of me with my oldest grandson who is a kindergartner, himself!
No comments:
Post a Comment