Gardening

We've enjoyed the summer garden, and especially harvesting. I thought my daughter might also enjoy planting things her own way. I set up the invitation on the porch, but she didn't notice it for a couple of days...such is the life of a curious 3-year old!

Invitation

She decided to add water to a cooler and played with the water for a bit.

She tried on the gloves

Digging in the dirt with gloves



Pouring the water through the funnel

 

She decided the gloves impeded her experience,
so she put them in the bucket.

Eventually she wanted to talk about what we did to grow our garden. We talked about the getting the soil ready, making room for and planting the seeds, covering the seeds, and adding water.



She took out some dirt and added the seeds.

She added water to the soil and then poured the soil over the seeds.
She didn't want the seeds to "wash away."

Clean up was "easy." She put everything in this
bucket and we rinsed it all off.

"Roar!"

Within 10 days we had cilantro sprouts!

Children love to be involved in everyday activities like cooking, rinsing dishes, laundry, and gardening; it offers an opportunity to connect, grow and learn together. And when we present them with an invitation that deepens their experience, it also deepens their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. And to be honest, I also hope this will somehow make these daily life tasks seem less like drudgery and more like moments of nostalgia when my daughter is an adult ...a mama can hope!