It all began with a seed as small as the point of a pencil with a fuzzy white tail! The children began to notice that seeds were everywhere. In their fruit, at the hill, on a field trip, in pumpkins, at the science table with big sunflower heads.
We read 'The Tiny Seed' and took the seeds with fuzzy white tails outside and blew them into the wind. The interest in seeds continued. They were sorted, examined, glued into art pictures and finally sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds were planted into peat pots.
Our interest in seeds has given us the chance to investigate 'The Worm Hotel'. Some children investigated the worm composter using a stick, and some dug their hands right in. Then the children investigated the worms. Cold, tickly, squiggly, squirmy.... How do they play? Which end do they eat with? The children described them, and wondered about them.
What do the seeds need to grow? Rain, sun, soil, water, time. The children know so much!
We added compost and 'worm juice' to some soil and planted more seeds in big pots. What would grow first? The peat pots or the big pots?
The big pots had shoots sprout. Why didn't the seeds in the peat pots grow yet? Would they ever grow?
As we waited for the peat pot seeds to sprout, we measured the ever-growing shoots in the big pots. The children measure in many ways. They water and care for the plants and watch for more seeds to grow. Finally, seeds start to grow from the peat pots! They took such a long time!
The children study, observe, record and tell the story of growing seeds.
Suzuki kindergarten has become interested in roots and stems and are finding out about living things that grow. We're looking forward to transplanting the shoots into even bigger pots. We'll have sunflowers ready for our garden and next year's pumpkins will be ready for planting in the spring!
