Spring came to Southern California back in December. Then again in February, and again in May. But seriously, our weather cannot make up its mind! We are in sweaters and boots on a Monday, and then running the AC by Wednesday. But on this day in May, it truly felt like spring, and I jumped at the chance to help Chloe plant her seeds from her Easter basket as well as plant some new succulents I bought. She was so very excited to work on this little project with me, and I love creating experiences for her that are both fun and educational. Because that’s the thing about learning ~ it is accomplished best when it’s organic; when a child’s own natural curiosity drives their learning. And then combine that with being outdoors and getting our hands dirty? It’s the perfect combination for teaching, learning and making memories.
Chloe-girl loved wearing her new gardening gloves and using her little tools from Grandma. She dug out holes for me and helped place the plants. We talked about squishing the soil down, watering the roots and placing the pot in the sun. Then we moved on to the seed packets. She loved watering the soil pods and shaking the seeds out into the little pots. And the best part? She asked questions. Questions about seeds, soil and flowers. Questions that I could answer for her; questions that helped her to learn something new that day.
In my area, there is something called Tinkergarten, and I really want to sign Chloe up. It’s an outdoor class that meets once a week for kids of almost all ages. The kids explore nature and learn in a very hands-on, experimental sort of way. Think digging for earth worms, inspecting leaves and listening to the sounds of birds. How cool is that? Check out their website here to see if a class meets near you!
If you’re homeschooling or want to further enhance a simple experience like we had planting seeds and succulents, I linked some resources that can help. But remember, when it comes to toddlers, allow the learning to come naturally and at your child’s own pace. They are little sponges at this age, and crave learning so provide the opportunities and facilitate without being too overbearing.
Also, Target has a great little gardening section right now in their “dollar spot.” Go check it out!
Happy spring!
xoxo, Heidi
Additional resources:
FREE planting/gardening printables
Looks like fun! I should hang our wall planters again now that our backyard is mostly done and let Hannah help me plant succulents….because let’s be real…..succulents are all I can keep alive. Other than kids, fish, and a dog 😉