Explore Plants in Plots and Pots
Start by talking with children, families, friends and neighbors about garden spaces. What is growing in your world - in the ground, in pots and on porches?
What is interesting to them about these plants and the spaces they grow in? Color? Size and shape? Texture? Taste or smell?
Where are the spaces you might visit? Before visiting, help children prepare for what they might see. Share pictures or books about the plants they may find. Will it be OK to look, touch, measure, smell or taste what they find? Will you have cameras, a video recorder, drawing pads and crayons to record what they experience? Can they bring home samples?
Explore Seeds
Check the back of seed packets for sprouting or germinating times, and the growing time needed. For planting with children, especially this late in the growing season, choose seeds that will sprout and be ready to harvest soon (radishes, some beans, marigolds etc.)
Seed packets and catalogs are interesting and fun to handle, with photos or drawings of plants to be grown. Explore size, shape and other qualities of seeds with children.
Collect seeds during food preparation or meal times (from apples, oranges, grapes, tomatoes, peas, beans, peanuts and so on). You may find a variety of seeds outdoors: winged maple seeds, inside pinecones, acorns from oak trees, and in flowers as they mature.
Study and record how long it takes to sprout seeds under different conditions - wet/dry, dark/light , and cold/warm/hot. After sprouting, plant your seeds. Make a graph of growing times for the flowers or vegetables you plant.
Gardens can provide spaces where children test their ideas about the world, master new skills, sharing work, play and wonder with other children and adults. Consider at least one gardening exploration with your children and families this summer.
