Our sunflower story continues…
When the children had finished removing the seeds from the second sunflower head, they were ready to implement their three ideas: 1) save some seeds to plant in the spring, 2) plant some of the seeds inside, and 3) roast some of the seeds to eat.
The children decided that we should save two seeds for each child to plant outside in the spring. We counted all of the children in the class two times during Morning Meeting, and determined that we would need to save 20 seeds. Ms. Hapole helped the children count to 20 in Spanish, while Ms. Bell set aside 20 seeds and placed them in a bag for safe keeping.
When the children had finished removing the seeds from the second sunflower head, they were ready to implement their three ideas: 1) save some seeds to plant in the spring, 2) plant some of the seeds inside, and 3) roast some of the seeds to eat.
The children decided that we should save two seeds for each child to plant outside in the spring. We counted all of the children in the class two times during Morning Meeting, and determined that we would need to save 20 seeds. Ms. Hapole helped the children count to 20 in Spanish, while Ms. Bell set aside 20 seeds and placed them in a bag for safe keeping.
The next day, the children began the indoor planting process. First, they wrote their names on pieces of tape to label their cups. Next, they filed the cups with potting soil. Then, they each planted two seeds and sprayed the soil with water until it was moist.
The children watered their seeds every morning, feeling the soil to determine when it was moist enough. Then they looked carefully with great anticipation, hoping to see the first signs of growth. Click on the slideshow below to see the care with which the children observed and nurtured their seeds.
We created a calendar to record how long it would take for the roots to develop. On the first day after planting, the children put a red “X” on the numeral “1” to indicate that they did not see any roots and taped it on the calendar.
Knowing that the roots would be the first sign of growth to appear, we asked the children to predict how long it would take for the roots to appear. Their predictions ranged from 2 days to 100 days!
While we waited for our seeds to sprout, the children soaked the remaining sunflower seeds in salt water and roasted them to share with with the PK and SK classes at snack on Friday. If you would like to roast sunflower seeds at home, the National Sunflower Association website has a recipe and a wealth of information about sunflowers.
Each day, the children checked their plants and added the next numeral with a red “X” to the calendar. After 11 days and still no sign of roots, both the children and the teachers thought that none of the seeds would grow.
Then, on Day 17 we saw that one of the seeds had finally sprouted! It reminded us of the book The Tiny Seed, in which only one of many seeds grew into a giant flower. The children (and the teachers) beamed with delight and surprise.
The class asked the two children who had planted the seed if it could become the JK class plant, and they immediately agreed. This generosity reflects the caring and sense of community that are central to the Bennett Day School philosophy.
The children have learned a song called “Seed in the Ground” that follows the growth of a seed from the roots to the flower. Some of the children asked if they could share it at the All School Morning Meeting last Friday. Perhaps your child can sing the final verse for you - the one in which the flower finally appears! (a video is coming soon...)
The children’s understanding of a plant’s growth from seed to flower became visible in the spontaneous drawings they created at the art table. Their drawings, combined with their verbal descriptions, reflect two of the many “languages” that children use to express the their thinking, their questions, their experiences, and their feelings.
This exploration has been an interesting journey, filled with surprises (the shrinking sunflower head), disappointments (the sunflower seeds that did not grow), and excitement (finding a caterpillar inside the sunflower and the seed that finally grew). Most importantly, it was filled with shared experiences that have now become an integral part of our classroom’s story.