Implementing a gardening program at your child care centre or school can be a fantastic educational tool to promote healthy eating habits and hands-on learning about the local food movement. When it comes to protecting and preserving our environment, it doesn’t get more local than planting seeds for fruits and vegetables in your very own classroom! This month we provided all our centres with vegetable seed packs. Check out our Seed Packet Activity Sheet, and record each day with our handy Plant Growth Chart.
Encouraging kids to explore the world of gardening has so many benefits! In learning about plant-based foods and how they grow, we develop a connection to the fresh foods we eat and become excited about including more of them in our meals and snacks each day. It’s also great opportunity for kids to discover the wonders of nature with all five senses:
- Listening to their teachers’ instructions on how to get started
- Feeling the fresh soil on their hands
- Seeing the changes in their plants’ growth from week to week
- Smelling the fruits and veggies as they ripen
- Tasting the fruits of their labor 😊 Yum!