Large projects are a great way to make learning a fun, real and unforgetable experience for young children. Planning, preparing, planting, tending and harvesting a vegetable garden is a great way to tie in all sorts of important concepts including:
- plant life cycles
- living and non living
- seasonal cycles
- weather
- insects
- food/food groups/nutrition
- healthy habits
Gardens also tap into children’s energy and natural curiosity. Children learn through their senses, at their own pace and in their own way. Some of the Multiple Intelligences addressed while gardening include:
- Linguistic- talking about your plans; describing your actions; discussing problems/issues; learning new garden-related vocabulary; keeping a garden journal
- Logical/Mathematical- counting and sorting seeds; measuring garden space, seed spacing, plant height, rainfall
- Spatial- planning garden space; drawing pictures of plants as they grow, creating seed markers
- Kinesthetic- digging, weeding, raking, harvesting
- Musical- singing garden-related songs; tapping or otherwise keeping a rhythm as you dig or plant; listening to the sounds of nature as you spend time outdoors
- Interpersonal- working together to prepare soil, add compost, water, harvest food, create snacks or meals, etc.
- Intrapersonal- quiet, independent time weeding or digging
- Natural- watching plant cycles and insect life
You don’t need a large outdoor space to create a class garden that can become a season-long project. A small garden plot can keep kids very busy. Several large pots or other planting containers can become a bountiful urban garden. Not only will your children learn a lot, they will also have an opportunity to experience nature and that in itself comes with a host of benefits!
Filed under: Activities for Kids, Multiple Intelligences, Preschool, Themes | Tagged: Activities for Kids, Curriculum, Multiple Intelligences, nutrition, Preschool, sensory experiences, Summer, Teaching, Themes
