Children learn more about their surrounding world when they understand how it came to be. Today on National Tree Day, our early learners explored the lifecycle of plants and how to care for them with their educator.
They read a book about plants ‘The Tiny Seed’ by Eric Carle and participated in an interactive group discussion where they learn from their educator and each other by describing the plants that they know.
They then visited their centre’s garden bed to find a suitable spot to plant new seeds. Working together, they dug and prepared the soil which provided a fun sensory experience as they could feel and learn about the texture and dampness of the soil.
Each child took turns planting a variety of flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetable seeds and covering them under the soil. Following, they watered their plants and plan out how they could continue to care for them over the next few weeks. Some of the children’s voices recorded for their individual learning and development portfolios were:
“You plant seeds in the soil.”
“The sun helps the plant to grow.”
“We feed the plants with water.”
The gardening project also led them to discover the importance of plants and how they form a sustainable environment that keeps our planet ‘healthy’.
“Gardening is a fun, interactive experience that we use to deliver many key learning areas in our Early Learning curriculum. It teaches our children about the world they belong to and how to care for it, ” says Belinda Aliaga – Centre Director, Oz Education Homebush.
“Over the next few weeks, our little ones will also learn to observe how each of their plants grows. It offers an abundance of opportunities for our children to further enhance their understanding of science and the environment, and develop literacy and maths skills in an area that greatly interests them.”
“Most of all, it gives them the opportunity to enjoy being outdoors and working collaboratively for the good of the planet.”
