Room 1: Spring has sprung....finally

Planting in the classroom

We have been waiting all winter to get out into the garden and begin exploring! The weather has mostly been cooperating (minus the few freak cold day, let's get it together Michigan) and we have been able to venture out. Our first few experiences in the garden have involved observations. We have been identifying some of the plants which have started to emerge. Many of our perennial plants are starting to sprout; we have been watching the leaves of our iris plants, as well as the day lilies emerging from beneath their winter covers. The children have also been exploring our eating row. Some of our herb plants (chives, salad burnet and mint) have started to grow. The children have been tasting the leaves of these different plants. Many of the children are very fond of the chives (sorry if they come home smelling like an onion). Some of the other classes have started planting other items in our eating rows. Having the eating rows helps the children develop a better understanding of where our food comes from and what we should be consuming. We also took a trip out to the garden to do some painting. We want the children to experience the garden in its various stages of growth, so we thought by painting the children can really look at the colors and explore how they change throughout the season. We will be back out in the garden soon to do some more painting and sketching. We are still preparing to plant soon. In the classroom we have sprouted pumpkin seeds and cucumbers. We are working to clear our the large garden space near the climber so we can plant these seeds in the ground. We will also have a planting day for our families soon, check out your newsletter for the date! If you have any garden knowledge, plants to share or just want to come experience the garden, let us know and we would love your help! We are looking forward to spring and these beautiful days outside!