Sunday, May 24, 2015

1- Life cycle: from seed to sunflower

Theme: New beginnings in Spring
Topics: the life cycle of a seed

For the children to understand the concept of life cycle, there is no better way than getting them to plant their own seeds and let them make their own observations afterward. We used at first pictures to explain to them how a small seed grows into a plant once it is planted in the ground. The pictures showed them the different stages of growth. Of course, without water and without the warmth of the sun, nothing would grow. We then went outside and planted a little sunflower seed. We made a trip to the greenhouse ( how to explain a child that the green house is not actually green?😜) and placed our little pots there. Every day, before outdoor play, the children got a chance to come and water their plants and see them grow!!
In between our visits to the green house, we kept talking about the different stages of growth, using books and pictures. 
Then one day, the children came to school and all their little sunflowers were waiting for them in the classroom. At circle time,  we reinforced what they had learnt using the book about sunflowers, and linking each pictures to their actual plants.
What an excitement to be able to bring their plants home!!! They were so proud of what they had achieved!!