Simon Says...Wiggle Your Leaves

   Today at Sanderlin Elementary School we had the chance to do a little bit of everything with Pre-K students. We started by giving a lesson on why the sun is so important for plants to grow and how they use the sunlight to turn it into food. This process is formally known as photosynthesis, to the children it is adorably known as a plant sun bathing.

(Gazing up at the sun like a plant would to absorb sunlight)

   This led us to into a fun game of Simon says, where your feet are your roots, waist is your stem, arms and hands are your leaves and last but not least your head is the beautiful flower.

(Simon Says..touch your Flower)

(Simon Says..wiggle your leaves)

                  After our game we picked a pepper and opened it up revealing all of its seeds.

 
  Next, we let the children plant the seeds in an empty space in one of the garden beds; they were so proud of their seed that they planted themselves. Being in the garden whether it is to teach, learn, work or simply enjoy brings a sense of empowerment from age four and beyond. This is evident for the children when you hear how proud they are to plant their own seed. I realize how empowering it has been for myself when the children know the answers of the garden and thank me and share how much they love coming to the garden. This garden may not solve all of the problems that these children face at school, at home and out in the real world but it gives them an experience you cannot build in a classroom. It gives them something that they belong too, that is theirs and they have had a part in creating. When you plant a seed you have to think about the future and the steps to take to help the seed flourish into a beautiful and nourishing plant. That may be just a lesson plan that we share with the children but it embeds the process of thinking about a future and what it takes to get there within these children. Hopefully they will walk away from the garden thinking about their future and what they can do to make their lives and this world a better place.

God Bless,

Kelsey