"What's Growing?"

 Since there has been interest in gardening the teachers set up an area in the classroom dedicated to plants.  Even though I'm not there the children are able to continue their conversations, experimentation and observation of "What's Growing?" What's not growing and why?  As a teacher it's important to use every opportunity to be a teachable moment.  Don't be discouraged if things aren't growing properly.  Bring the issue to the children and see if you can problem solve with them.

One difficult aspect of starting seeds in a classroom is that there needs to be at least 6-8 hours of sunlight shining on the soil and seed as well as lots of sun!  The more then sunshine, the more thirsty the little seedlings get, which is another topic children are observing about planting.

Teacher's observation:
"My Frequent Followers"

Now that I have been coming consistently to the classroom, I have had certain children who regularly come and join my inquiry group.  For those children that come to gardening, some are naturally focused children.  Other children who have a difficult time concentrating around their peers, it helps them to feel a sense of importance and responsibility towards the work that they do.

Direct Instruction Vs. Scaffolding

A new study suggests that direct instruction among preschoolers does not allow children to think creatively. A teacher can help extend their learning by helping them build upon their own ideas, or theories, otherwise known as scaffolding. The language the teacher uses with the child, along with acting as a learner next to the child allows children to extend their projects and ideas.

I invite you to read:

http://www.slate.com/id/2288402/
"Why Preschool Shouldn't Be Like School" by Alison Gopnik

fresh herbs vs. dried herbs

The previous week it looked as if the kids were interested in creating a pizzeria in their classroom, however when the teachers looked into going to visit "Figs", the pizza restaurant, it wasn't open during the time the class wanted to go see it.  Instead they went over to a local coffee shop.  When the children entered they were extremely interested in the local artwork up on the walls.  So, as you can see a combination of children's interests and circumstances can quickly change the plans of a project.  As a teacher it is important to recognize how important it is to be flexible and approach teaching as a way to learn from the children.

It seems as thought the children are still interested in making some sort of restaurant because they have the corner still set up for that use, so the teachers and I decided to continue on loosely folding gardening in with the restaurant idea.

I have been working closely with the teachers and communicated to them that I would like to pursue the restaurant and gardening idea so I brought in fresh herbs and dried herbs.  I brought in parsley, (fresh and dried), oregano (fresh and dried) and basil (fresh and dried).  I had a small group with me during inquiry time.

When presenting the herbs for the activity,  I had each fresh herb sitting in a cup of water with a label underneath it.   I had the children smell the fresh herb interchanging it with the dried version.  I asked questions such as, " which herb smells stronger to you?"  "does the fresh herb smell the same or different as the dried herb?"  After examining the herbs and facilitating a little conversation about all three the children got a piece of paper and crayons and drew a picture of the plants.  Some children chose to draw a picture of all the fresh herbs, and some drew pictures of the tiny pieces of dried herbs.

When I am going to the classroom in Charlestown I'm trying to figure out how to fold in my expertise of gardening with the children's interests in the classroom.  The teachers help me understand what they are interested in by suggesting that we grow herbs because the children began a restaurant.

One day when I came into the classroom I noticed that the children had made a sign above their restaurant. They called it "Figs" after the famous pizza restaurant in Charlestown.  I thought, "How perfect!  I can fold in growing herbs and vegetables with their new interest of figs!"

I suggested to one of the teachers that the children could visit Figs and ask the cooks how they cook their pizza's.  The following week I came in with two kinds of herbs, Oregano and Basil along with english muffins, cheese and marinera sauce.  You guessed it!  We made english muffin pizza's!  I had a small group of children who helped me make the pizza during inquiry time, and then after all other activities ended, we shared what we learned about the herbs we used on the pizza.  We used fresh herbs so they were handed around for the children to touch and smell, and then the children taste tested!

One child took a bite then looked at me with wide eyes and exclaimed, "I love herbs!"

Gardening with Preschoolers

I am a strong advocate for children not only gardening, but simply enjoying being outside.  Whether you live in the city or country there are always ways for children to get interested in the natural world.  In Charlestown I work at a preschool that is very enthusiastic about gardening.  Each week I come in to do a gardening activity during their inquiry time.

When I first began visiting their classroom I some observation.  The teachers were very supportive of me coming in and introducing gardening and nature into the classroom.  The teachers asked me to say a few words to the children about why I was there and what I was going to be doing with them.  On my second visit I came in with a provocation, a picture.  (Provocation is an object or material that provokes the children to ask questions and think critically)

I showed them a picture I had taken of a tree after a snowstorm.  A large branch had fallen from the tree, and I was concerned about the well being of the tree.  I asked the children some questions such as, "will this tree stay alive without the branch?"  "How did the branch break off of the tree?"  These questions began a deeper conversation about what things are alive, and what things are dead during winter.

Afterwards we went on a nature walk.  Along our walk the children found many things that were alive, and some that were not.  We convened at a park where we found an extremely large branch that had moss, lots of smaller branches.  The children began collecting smaller branches and brought them back to the classroom.  They took some guesses whether they thought the branch was dead or alive, and we then put the branches in water to see what would happen.

The teachers continued the investigation while I was away for the rest of the week and each week that I returned to school the children noticed no growth, but was continuously watching it.  Finally after a month of observation one of the children noticed a bud!  Growth!  How exciting for the children.

The branches still sit in the water and the bud continues to grow.