Growing Inquisitiveness

May 18, 2016

 

"The birds will eat the seeds?" asked one child as we emptied one seed packet of beets one sunny morning. I said, "Oh we don't want them to eat these seeds. We want these to grow so we can eat them."

Young children are very observant. They ask many questions to better understand the world around them. This morning, Miss Arigo and the toddlers planted onions and beets in our front playground.

We gathered supplies that we needed such as a shovel, a rake, a watering can, and seed packets.

 

 

In the photo above, one child studied the instructions. She flipped the pages over and looked closely at the pictures of the vegetables.

 

 

We discussed the vegetables we were going to grow - beets and onions. We talked about the colour, size, and shape of the seeds. Then, we dug rows in our planters and placed the seeds one by one. This was tricky as their eye-hand coordination is still developing. Sprinkling the seeds might work, too!

 

 

After we have covered the seeds, it was time to water them. One child said, "I water it. My turn please." As she poured the water, she used her other hand to feel the water. "Oh cold water in there," she said and laughed.

 

 

"This seed too, Miss Arigo?" she asked me as she found a clump of dirt in our planter. I told her it was not a seed but a clump of dirt. She then repeated, "A clump of dirt?! Oh I have a clump of dirt right here. Clump of dirt." We talked about it for the next five minutes. She said, "It's cute."

"Children astound me with their inquisitive minds. The world is wide and mysterious to them, and as they piece together the puzzle of life, they ask 'Why?' ceaselessly."
-John Maxwell


by Miss Arigo