Yesterday I led a group of third graders in planting salal and sword fern in their school's new nature council ring. It was great to work with the children. They were so excited to dig and get the bare root plants in the ground. They have been studying native plants so it was easy to connect to prior knowledge. I asked, “What can native plants provide for animals?” and they made many suggestions from food, to shelter. They also knew that the plants provide resources for humans from clean air, beauty and to making perfumes. The latter is what one person attributed the missing needles on the playground's young grand fir. We used that as a teachable moment, that trees can provide uses for us, but that we need to be careful when they are young to not stress a tree by pulling off it's needles. This led perfectly into a discussion of photosynthesis and how we can care for our plants so that someday they can be big and tall.
Children exclaimed with joy with each scoop of dirt and with every worm. There was also the satisfied looks and proud statements from the children after having carefully tucked a new seedling into a home on their school grounds.
Opportunities to plant and tend for the earth and their community are so great for children. In doing so they see how they can make a difference in their world. They also learn how all our actions have effects.
I love to plant with kids! The more often- the better.
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