Supplementary Resources

There are so many wonderful resources out there for educators to use when facilitating the big idea of Transformations!  Here are a handful of some of my favourites that I have come across for your convenience:

Videos

In this video, Robert Teacher discusses how plants grow and change.  Interestingly, he begins the video by comparing the life cycle of a plant to that of a child, something that kindergartners can relate to!

This is another neat video by Robert Teacher, but this one focuses on how animals grow and transform from babies to adults!  I really enjoy the subtitles in the video, because it also promotes literacy!

This is a video educators can show young children.  It is a Time Lapse video of a Tomato plant over a span of 22 days but sped up to last only 1 minute and 13 seconds!

Blogs

The Educators Spin On It - Gardening with Kids
http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.com/2012/06/gardening-with-blog-hop-tons-of-great.html 

 Organic Gardening - A Blog Post on Gardening with your Children
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/gardening-kids


Teach Beside Me - this blog also comes complete with an amazing list of books to supplement the learning of gardening and the transformation of seeds to plants

http://teachbesideme.com/gardening-with-kids/

 

Pinterest

The Educators' Spin On It -  The same authors as the blog above, but with fantastic ideas pinned to their Pinterest Board!
http://www.pinterest.com/educatorsspinon/gardening-with-kids/

Mind Map

If we dig a little deeper...

 

With this mind map, we can see how there are so many ways you can break down the big idea of "Transformations" into a wide variety of subcategories.  Not only are transformations seen in gardens, but in insects, the natural elements, in the kitchen, with humans, animals, and everywhere we look in nature.  Within each of these subcategories are further subcategories, and within those there are even FURTHER subcategories that all tie in to the idea of Transformations!

Through this mind map, we can see how underneath our surface "ideas" of what children may be interested in (such as kittens, snow, ghosts, etc.) is the underlying concept that truly fascinates them.  So no matter what the children in our care seem interested in, it is important that we challenge ourselves to dig even deeper so that we can even further extend their learning through their true interests.

Here's the mind map again, but a little bit bigger to see it more easily:

But What Will The Children Learn?

Despite the fact that children may be outside "playing" in the garden, they actually have just as much, if not more, potential to learn as they would in a traditional classroom setting.  Here are just a handful of the many skills children can develop while cultivating a class garden, with reference to the FDEL-K:

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Image from https://communitygarden.org/find-a-garden/gardens/alices-garden-childrens-garden/

Social Development 1.1: act and talk with peers and adults by expressing and accepting positive messages

• In the garden, children may share their ideas and observations.  Another example of this is when the children are in the process of creating their garden.  One child may ask another to dig a hole, while the other complies in a positive manner.

Social Development 1.2: demonstrate the ability to take turns in activities and discussions. 

• The children may need to take turns performing tasks such as watering the plants or using specific tools (such as taking turns using the shovel, spade, etc.)

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Image from http://sourcethestation.com/idea/community-gardens/


Emotional Development: 1.2: identify and talk about their own interests and preferences.

• When deciding on what plants to purchase for the garden, children may voice their own opinions by saying things such as "Sunflowers are my favourite" or "I prefer flower gardens over vegetable ones"

Emotional Development 1.3: express their thoughts and share their experiences

•  The children may suggest to one another where they think it would be best to plant each seed.  They may also share stories of their experiences of gardening elsewhere like at home or with other family members.

Emotional Development 2.1: demonstrate self-reliance and a sense of responsibility.

• The children may demonstrate a sense of responsibility by reminding their teachers that they need to go outside and care for the garden.  Some children may even volunteer to pull weeds or water the plants!

Emotional Development 2.5: interact cooperatively with others in classroom events and activities

•  Children may offer the most 'prized' jobs to other children to ensure fairness in the garden.  They may also thank one another for helping carry bags of soil from one end of the garden to another or work together to keep the garden neat and tidy.

MATHEMATICS

Image from: http://drive2.subaru.com/onlineX_nationalGardening.htm

Mathematics NS1.3: begin to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects

• This can occur when children dig holes and plant seedlings.  The children may recognize and develop this mathematical skill by digging one small hole and placing one sprout inside!

Mathematics M2.1: compare and order two or more objects according to an appropriate measure and use measurement terms

• As the garden grows throughout the season, the children may take notice how some plants compare in size to others.  For example, children may say things like "This plant is taller than that one!"  The children may even order two or more objects, such as rocks in the garden, fallen leaves or insects they find and arrange them from smallest to biggest.

Mathematics G3.6: demonstrate an understanding of basic spatial relationships and movements

• Children may say things like "Let's plant the daisy in front of the petunia" or "The ant is crawling on top of the stone!" to demonstrate this math skill.

Mathematics DM5.1: sort, classify, and compare objects and describe the attributes used

•  As the buds bloom in the growing garden, children may take notice of the various colours, sizes and species they see in their garden.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Image from http://www.boylansgardenandpet.com.au/#/childrens-play/4568002141

 

Science and Technology 1.1: ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations

• After the class has finished planting their seeds and sprouts, some children may ask questions like "how long will it take for the flowers to grow?" or "how come this plant has different coloured leaves?"  Sometimes children may even express their observations or ideas through drawings.

Science and Technology 1.3: explore patterns in the natural and built environment

• Sometimes birds, small rodents and insects may take refuge in gardens.  Children who come in contact with these may take notice of the patterns in textures and colours in these visitors.  The children may comment on the swirls on the shell of a snail, or the speckled pattern of the sparrow sitting on one of the garden's bushes.

Science and Technology 2.3: select and use materials to carry out their own explorations

• As the children wish to explore their new garden, they may ask for tools such as shovels, spades or pails to dig through the dirt or transfer materials from place to place

Science and Technology 3.1: identify similarities and differences between local environments

• Children who have seen other gardens or have one in their own home may identify similarities and differences between the two.  They may say things such as "I have an apple tree in my backyard too, but it is way bigger than this one" or other observations like this.

Science and Technology 3.3: identify ways in which they can care for and show respect for the environment

• The children may offer suggestions such as "we should pick up all the litter" to keep their garden clean and safe.

Provocation Idea: Cultivate a Garden!

Some of the most breathtaking and beautiful things in the world are things that are not man-made.  Think about natural materials and matter, like water, flowers, or wild life.  The natural elements provide some of the most interesting and open-ended possibilities for learning for young children.

Image from http://www.shophawkvalley.com/kids-garden-club

Cultivating a garden with children provides so many opportunities to learn outside of a traditional classroom setting!  Boys and girls will enjoy taking part and sharing the responsibility of helping a homemade garden transform from dirt and seeds to lush plants and blooms!  Gardens not only promise the growth of plants but are also sure to attract a variety of wildlife.

 Image from https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/general/ride2school/95302/

To get started, round up your classroom of children and get them involved!  Allow the children to design the garden by selecting the seeds, plants, shrubs, flowers, and/or trees.  Nothing encourages children to participate more than by giving them choices and freedom!

 Image from  http://www.nationalgardenmonth.org/images/201103storyline/201103kids-garden.jpg

 
Teachers can also participate in the learning by inviting the children to bring in books and articles on how to care for plants and to select the ones that attract specific types of wildlife!  Inspirational short stories about gardening such as City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, a tale about a diverse group of neighbours who work together to clean up a vacant lot and transform it into a community garden, could inspire a class full of children!

Of course, every class is different so feel free to select any piece of literature that would work with your group!

The Big Idea

In my many years of working with children (babysitting since I was fifteen, working as a synchronized swimming coach and camp counsellor the past eight years, and as an early childhood educator for the past two years) I have developed an idea of "what kids like" and "what they are interested in."

Image from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24624427

Only more recently has it dawned on me that children were not solely fixated on individual topics like butterflies, Transformers, flowers or babies, despite the fact that their dramatic play and art work very often reflected these themes.  Rather, the big idea behind such interests is something even bigger.  What is it within these individual topics that fascinates children?  The common BIG IDEA behind each of these focuses is the concept of transformation!

Image from http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/united-states/butterfly-exhibit-museum-44254.html

Not only is transformation a concept that is mesmerising to watch, but it is something that children experience first hand in their day-to-day lives.  As children watch their caregivers cooking them breakfast, they see their bread transform to toast.  What was once soft and light in colour quickly changed into something else crisp and dark.  Children see how their younger siblings change from babies who are dependent and small to toddlers and then preschoolers with increasing independence.  Despite the fact that young children may not see noticeable differences in their loved ones each day, they are aware that people do transform too!

As we slowly move from these harsh and cold winter months into the light and airy months of spring, children will quickly become engrossed in the transformation of the world around us as the temperatures begin to shift.  Ice and snow will transform to water.  Browned grass will replenish and become lush and green.  Bare shrubs will quickly grow leaves!  The sky is the limit on what transformations take place and what children take notice of.

Just a thought...

"Free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world."
- Maria Montessori