The growth of plants can be fascinating for children, particularly if they are given a chance to explore it and one great way to explore it is by growing a garden. A garden does not have to be large for children to be able to learn from it. It only needs to be large enough for a few plants of one type, a couple green bean plants, for example. However, a garden can be larger and include several types of vegetables or flowers.
Children should be involved in the garden from the very beginning, starting with the decision of what to grow and the preparation of the soil. This way they can learn about what plants need for good growth. They also need to be involved from the start in order to feel ownership of and therefore responsibility for the garden. It's not enough to plant seeds or seedlings; it is also important to weed the garden and water the plants.
Of course, a garden doesn't need constant, non-stop attention, so in between waterings and weedings, children can pay a visit or two to the library to get books about plants and gardening. They can read about why weeding is important and how plants use sunlight and water. Children who like to draw can draw the plants at various stages, maybe every two days or so. Children who aren't particularly talented artists can still draw and they can be encouraged to take "artistic liberties" and not worry about their drawings looking like a photograph! Children who do want to be more precise and less artistic can take photos of the plants every couple of days. Whether they draw or take photos, they will have to carefully keep track of the dates.
In addition to having photographs, children can describe what they see. Children who enjoy writing creatively can describe the growth of the plant like a story, detailing what the plants look like at each stage, while children who are more scientifically minded may want to keep track of the changes by creating a chart they can fill in with measurements and other descriptive details.
If you have room for a larger garden, you might conduct some simple experiments, which a child can document. For example, rather than just a couple bean (or other) plants, you might have six or more. Two of them can be given plant food. Two others can be covered with a paper bag for a couple of hours every day to deprive them of sunlight. Some people have even played different kinds of music for different plants to see how plants react! (You'd have to be careful with this one since all the plants shouldn't be able to "hear" all the music.) The child can measure the plants and even take photos every couple of days to document the growth of the plants under these different conditions.
Flowers can be planted instead of or in addition to vegetables and children can experiment with them as well if they want to. The important thing to remember about experiments is that a "control" is always needed. That means that they get the normal treatment, nothing more and nothing less. Without this kind of control plant, it's impossible to tell if differences in treatment are making a difference.
Of course, it isn't necessary to experiment with plants to have fun with a garden. Watching the plants grow, taking care of them, and reading about plant life can be quite rewarding. One book about gardening is Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together With Children by Sharon Lovejoy. It has some interesting ideas for themed gardens (like the "moon garden" with flowers that bloom at night).
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Children should be involved in the garden from the very beginning, starting with the decision of what to grow and the preparation of the soil. This way they can learn about what plants need for good growth. They also need to be involved from the start in order to feel ownership of and therefore responsibility for the garden. It's not enough to plant seeds or seedlings; it is also important to weed the garden and water the plants.
Of course, a garden doesn't need constant, non-stop attention, so in between waterings and weedings, children can pay a visit or two to the library to get books about plants and gardening. They can read about why weeding is important and how plants use sunlight and water. Children who like to draw can draw the plants at various stages, maybe every two days or so. Children who aren't particularly talented artists can still draw and they can be encouraged to take "artistic liberties" and not worry about their drawings looking like a photograph! Children who do want to be more precise and less artistic can take photos of the plants every couple of days. Whether they draw or take photos, they will have to carefully keep track of the dates.
In addition to having photographs, children can describe what they see. Children who enjoy writing creatively can describe the growth of the plant like a story, detailing what the plants look like at each stage, while children who are more scientifically minded may want to keep track of the changes by creating a chart they can fill in with measurements and other descriptive details.
If you have room for a larger garden, you might conduct some simple experiments, which a child can document. For example, rather than just a couple bean (or other) plants, you might have six or more. Two of them can be given plant food. Two others can be covered with a paper bag for a couple of hours every day to deprive them of sunlight. Some people have even played different kinds of music for different plants to see how plants react! (You'd have to be careful with this one since all the plants shouldn't be able to "hear" all the music.) The child can measure the plants and even take photos every couple of days to document the growth of the plants under these different conditions.
Flowers can be planted instead of or in addition to vegetables and children can experiment with them as well if they want to. The important thing to remember about experiments is that a "control" is always needed. That means that they get the normal treatment, nothing more and nothing less. Without this kind of control plant, it's impossible to tell if differences in treatment are making a difference.
Of course, it isn't necessary to experiment with plants to have fun with a garden. Watching the plants grow, taking care of them, and reading about plant life can be quite rewarding. One book about gardening is Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together With Children by Sharon Lovejoy. It has some interesting ideas for themed gardens (like the "moon garden" with flowers that bloom at night).
