What better way to enjoy the outdoors than to get into dirt and planting a vegetable garden. Our choices for vegetables were cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers. Can you guess what we planted? There was a specific reason, why we planted this vegetable. I was told it didn't take as long to grow. With a cooperative effort and persistence,the children:
1) filled the pot with soil 2) dug a circular hole in the soil 3) pulled the roots apart for them to grow better 4) placed it into the pot "just so" 5) last but not least added water.
Today we introduced Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish Holiday that celebrates the New Year of the Trees. On Tu B'Shevat there are many customs that are celebrated. The most important of the customs are the planting of the trees and the eating of dried fruits and nuts. Which brings us to our next subject...Earthworms.
Earthworms are not just for fish bait. Earthworms are very important creatures as they are responsible for a lot of things that help make our soil good enough to grow healthy plants/trees, that provide us with food. Worms help to increase the amount of air and water that gets into the soil. The children learned that they break down organic matter, like leaves and grass into things that plants can use. When they eat, they leave behind castings that are a very valuable type of fertilizer. Earthworms are like free farm help! They help to turn the soil- bringing down organic matter from the top and mixing it with the soil below.
The children had the opportunity to observe real earthworms in the Science Center. Some of us chose to observe with our eyes and a magnifying glass and others could not wait to hold/touch them . It was interesting for me watch the children observing the worms. I asked the children "Can you tell me one thing you noticed about the earthworms? " This is what they said:
Mia-"They curl, stretch themselves, worms open and close." Teddy P- "Some are long and some are short." Sam-"Some are sleeping and some jump." Oliver-Asked,"What do worms eat?" Aden- His initial answer was, "They are disgusting!" Then once held one in his hand, with a great big smile on his face he said,"These worms tickle."
We are looking forward to visiting with our new friends tomorrow!
Keeping in line our summer theme of "reusing" and recycling materials, we created beautiful pieces of art. We used our strong hand muscles to push in scraps of cloth into the styrofoam.
soil
