The Plants We See, Grow and Eat...

The preschoolers spent several weeks focusing on plants. Through participation and experiences provided in the unit they learned that plants, like people and animals are living things. They feed, grow change, and are different in size and color. We walked around the school compound and identified different kinds of plants we saw growing in the compound. "Are all the plants the same?" I asked, ''No, some are big and some are small, " they replied. I explained that the trees, flowers, grasses, shrubs and bushes that we saw were also plants. When I asked, "Where do plants grow?" Someone responded, "In the garden." After looked at and discussed some pictures of plant growth sites they realized that plants grow in gardens as well as houses, greenhouses, fields, ponds, lakes and forests.

*The theme was integrated into other subject areas. During Circle Time they learned the names and identified the parts of a plant by singing, PLANT PARTS to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?"

Flower and leaves, Flowers and leaves,

Stem and root, stem and roots

Are the parts of a plant;

Are the parts of a plant.

Let's name them again,

Let's name them again.

As each part was named the children found the cutout part placed it on the activity board.

*In Literature they listened to Maria Elena Buria's Billy The Bean, the story of a sad little bean who wished he could grow tall and be covered with leaves. The lesson was reinforced by a dramatic play (using puppet sticks) to expand on the language and concept that plants need soil, water, sunlight and air to grow.

In a math lesson they practiced their skill sequencing by arranging pictures of the life cycle of a bean plant using the terms first, next and last to identify the order of growth.

In another activity they each examined six to ten bean and pumpkin seeds. They each counted their seeds and planted them in small planting containers half filled with soil. They further practiced their counting skill in the activity, In Line On The Vine. They matched corresponding groups of black dots with numerals1-10 on a cut out pumpkin vine.

In the health lesson on Choosing Foods we discussed the importance of including fruits and vegetables in their diet. After they looked at posters of how fruits and vegetables grow, the concept became clear to them that people and animals eat some plants. They made a collage of their favorite fruits and vegetables.

At home, during mealtime, parents could foster this unit by parts of the plant they eat. Also, if you have plants let your child help water them.

Audrey Mason, Preschool Teacher.