"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.