GARDENING HERBS
WITH JESS
Gardening herbs is a wonderful way for kiddos to learn about gardening. Most herbs are easy to grow and take little care to flourish. Children love to learn about and explore nature. Toddlers will marvel at the different and exciting scents that are available in a fragrant herb garden. Children are always delighted to learn that they can grow many of the herbs that you use in cooking their dinner.
At BCS we had several fresh herbs growing in the back where children were able to smell, taste, and even help plant. Some of which include Basil, Mint, and Parsley.
Here are a few pictures and a video of Jess planting some Herbs. If you guys have a garden please feel free to share what you guys plant!
GARDENING WITH TEACHERS
BY KATLYN
We are missing the children this time of year when we would normally be working hard at BCS and at our Archibald Garden plot. This is the time that we would be working on starting the Spring curriculum of including all children in the process of gardening and the importance of growing our own food. We start by weeding, turning the soil and planting seeds. I’m sure lots of families have been doing this as well!
We wanted to share some pictures of the teachers working in their gardens at home! We hope you enjoy and feel free to send along your pictures too! (Send to Classroom Emails).
Katlyn plants Peppers, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Snow Peas, Carrots, Beets, Basil, Chives, Dill and Parsley in her Garden every year!
Jo planting Cucumbers, Squash, Radishes, Peppers, Tomatoes, all kinds of Herbs, Arugula, Mesculin, Red lettuce, Kale, Carrots & Onions. Their Arugula has started to sprout and they are SO excited!
Sheila planted the BCS Archibald Garden Plot – Cabbage, Peppers, Tomatoes, Green Beans & Carrots!
Sheila loves Flower Gardening – She plants lots of purple flowers in pots! She is also growing Peppers and Tomatoes this year!
Molly worked hard to create a space for Gardening this year – She planted Tomatoes, Peppers, Lettuce & Strawberries!
Sadie has been working in her Garden, weeding and landscaping. Sadie planted Cosmos, Zinnia, Poppies, Sunflowers, Sedums, Lettuce, and Rocks! 🙂
Melissa and her daughter, Emma Picnic in their Family Vegetable Garden!
Emma helped her Dad plant his Garden this year!
GARDENING SONG
SUNG BY KATLYN
WORM CHARMING
BY NATALIE
Natalie’s big sister, Cassandra, loved digging for worms when she was in preschool!
I recently stumbled upon this incredible practice called “worm charming,” which anglers have used for generations to collect earthworms for bait. This process is also called “worm grunting.”
The act of worm grunting involves rubbing wood and metal (or another piece of wood) together in the ground that creates unique vibrations. These vibrations call earthworms to the surface of the dirt in droves. It seriously seems so magical!
Why do you think the worms come towards this noise?
Watch this video to see what I mean:
I have spent hours and hours in the loose parts area of our playground digging painstakingly with children to find just a few worms. (Still worth it!) But it seems like this process basically calls worms right to you. I haven’t tried it myself but I thought I would share how to do it and maybe you all can try it to see if it really works!
Of course at school we aren’t collecting worms for bait, we are collecting worms to observe them and enjoy their presence and feel their squirmy bodies. The worms often become beloved “pets” for an hour before we put them back into the dirt when we go inside.
If you don’t need worms for fishing, worms are also really helpful to your garden because they help more air and water get into the soil and into the roots of the plants! This helps your plants grow strong and tall. They also help break down things like leaves in the soil so plants can eat them up. Even worm poop helps make the soil more rich. So if you collect some worms, you could put them into your garden!
“It may be doubted whether there are any other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as the earthworm.” -Charles Darwin
If you catch any worms, remember that they are living creatures who do not have any defense mechanisms to keep their bodies safe. This means that YOU need to make sure you keep their body safe. Please do not pull them apart or squish them. Observe them carefully, ask lots of questions and then put them safely back into their home in the dirt.
Sometimes when a child has a really tough time not hurting the worms body, we find a safe surface where we can observe them with just our eyes and not touch their bodies with our hands. Even using a magnifying glass helps us observe them closely without hurting their bodies.
How to make your own worm grunting tools:
Unfortunately the process of making the worm grunting stick looks like a mostly grown up activity, BUT if you are really interested in this process, it just might be worth it! And then you and your child can go out and look for worms out in nature together.
Ten Favorite Preschool Earthworm Facts:
Worms breath through their skin, they don’t have any lungs!
Worms have FIVE hearts!
Worms can regrow parts of their bodies! (This still doesn’t mean we should pull them apart though.)
Worms are cold blooded, so they become the same temperature as their surroundings!
Worms mostly live to be two years old but some kinds can live up to EIGHT years!
Worms have tiny hairs all over their body! (See if you can see these through a magnifying glass!)
Worms are not boys or girls, every worm has both boy and girl body parts!
Baby worms hatch from cocoons, just like moths!
The Giant Gippsland Worm can be up to 10 feet long! (Measure out 10 feet together and imagine a worm that big!)
Worms are older than dinosaurs!
DIARY OF A WORM BY DOREEN CRONIN
READ BY NATALIE
VELS:
Infants:
LIFE SCIENCES
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about the characteristics of living organisms, their biology and ecosystems through exploration and investigations.
Demonstrate interest in people, plants and animals
Use senses to explore and get information about the natural world
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about Earth’s systems, the impacts of human activity on these systems, and Earth’s place in the universe through observations, exploration, and investigations.
Explore water, soil, sand and rocks with adult guidance and support
Young Toddlers:
LIFE SCIENCES
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about the characteristics of living organisms, their biology and ecosystems through exploration and investigations.
Explore the characteristics of living things
Interact with plants and animals
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about Earth’s systems, the impacts of human activity on these systems, and Earth’s place in the universe through observations, exploration, and investigations.
Use senses and simple tools to explore earth materials (e.g., digging soil, tapping rocks, pouring sand)
Older Toddlers:
LIFE SCIENCES
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about the characteristics of living organisms, their biology and ecosystems through exploration and investigations.
Ask questions about the natural world
EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about Earth’s systems, the impacts of human activity on these systems, and Earth’s place in the universe through observations, exploration, and investigations.
Explore properties of water, soil, rocks and sand independently
Preschoolers:
LIFE SCIENCES
Goal 1: Children construct concepts about the characteristics of living organisms, their biology and ecosystems through exploration and investigations.
Describe how plants and animals, including people, grow and change over time.
Explain how animals including people use their senses to gather information (e.g., noses are for smelling)
Discuss how animals meet their needs for shelter (e.g., birds build nests)