Our Surprise Pumpkin

Last year, as part of our science curriculum, we left a pumpkin to rot in our whiskey barrel garden.  We watched for weeks as it got softer, moldier, and darker. Eventually, it went away completely except for a moldy little stem, not unlike the witch's hat left behind in The Wizard of Oz.  However, unlike the wicked witch, our rotting pumpkin left behind something magical. Can you guess what that was?

A fertile seed, which sprouted this year.  Nobody knew what was growing there, but over time we were certain it was a squash of some sort.  It took a while before we even saw the fruit, as most of the flowers were snipped off at the stem by our local animal population.  Birds and squirrels make our garden part of their regular morning route.

But one day, we saw something green and round...and now we have a big orange pumpkin! It wasn't until Guada pointed out that the seed came from our rotten pumpkin last year that we even made the connection.  We got to watch the full cycle of reproduction in the most natural, seasonal form, right in our garden.  Just one of many lessons inherent in our finely tuned relationship with mother nature.

Apples

~Picking Apples~

~Drying Apples~

~Juicing Apples~ 

Earth Day Gardening

This morning, to celebrate Earth Day, we talked with the children about what they would like to plant in our garden this year.  Here is the list:

eggplant

strawberries

poppies

seeds

roses

vegetable seeds

water

squash

celery

dirt and flowers

After circle time, it was out with the old, in with the new.

We made room for all of the things we wanted to plant by either moving plants away, or throwing them into our green waste container. These children are transporting a huge plant to the back garden bed, where it will have more room to thrive.

The container garden has seen better days...this brussel sprout plant from last year is covered in aphids! 

There, now it has room for more stuff.

The children topped off the old containers with new soil. 

While the children were napping, I went to the nursery to pick up seeds and seedlings.

The first group of children, Be, Ro, and Za, took out the tulips from the brick planters and replaced them with cosmos, lilacs, and pansies (our compromise for poppies and roses). 

We will save the tulip bulbs for next year. We carefully chopped off the tops and bagged the bulb.

The next group started in on the containers. Here, Sa is planting eggplant seeds.

So helps with zucchini squash seeds.

Ak waters the whole lot.

Next, Ak and Br teamwork on the next container which is to hold the strawberry plants.

Then, Bl, Te, and Ta work on getting the kale plants out of the tire garden to make room for sweet peas.  After all, we have to keep up the food supply for the snails that live under the rim of the tire!

They loosen up the soil and mix in some new soil.

The plant sweet pea seedlings...

...and seeds.

And there is the all important job of watering.

Tomorrow, Gi, Ha and Le will plant the great sunflower garden, as well as our celery and carrot seeds. We have two containers left and I'm so excited to fill them with something!!!

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During our story today, we had talked a bit about the ways we can help the earth (an Earth Day discussion of sorts). When we were planting sweet peas, Ta asked how sweet peas help the planet. I thought about what it would be like to live in a place without the natural beauty of plants and flowers and trees.  I also thought about the deep sense of joy that I feel when I have a sweet pea bouquet, or when I examine the tiny orchid-like flowers on a bean vine, or the feeling of sitting among a lush green garden as opposed to dried weeds.  I think it's so important for children to experience these things in their environment. "It's nice to look at beautiful things" was the only reply I could give Tal in the moment, and that's pretty much the bottom line for me!

(Thank you Katy for the gardening inspiration!)

Floral inspired art

This idea originally came from my friend Kim, who may very well have the deepest sense of aesthetics of anybody I know.  She first planted the seed in my mind that aesthetics and beauty have a place in the preschool classroom years ago.  She inspired me by setting up activities and the classroom with beauty and often an unnecessary yet beautiful embellishments like flower bouquets or framed photos.

As most of you know, Beansprouts Preschool occupies half of my home. The most beautiful part of my house is the classroom!  There, I prioritize beauty (colors, organization, arrangement, natural materials) because I believe children deserve (and appreciate) it.

This activity, offering children a bouquet for inspiration but not instruction, and a few paints from the floral palette, will definitely be one we do often during the spring as children develop a connection between nature and art.  We will see how it unfolds in the weeks ahead.

I will post a few photos of our floral inspired art and then bid you adieu until next week, when we come back from our spring vacation.

Happy Easter!

Fava beans

My friends at Barron Park Preschool are constantly inspiring me with their ideas.  I made a humble attempt to copy them during this activity.

We explored and "planted" fava beans this week at preschool.  The children touched and looked and almost all of them had to smell the fava beans.  I told the children that the beans will pretend that the coffee filter is soil, hoping that would make sense to them why we were sprouting beans in cups.  Many children went home with fava beans in their pockets yesterday...

 We also stole some beans from Guada's morning activity!

In the photo above, Be is helping Br by explaining the process of planting the beans in the cups. After explaining it to the few children who had risen from nap, I thought I would charge those children with the duty of mentoring the longer nappers.