Introducing Gardening to the Montessori Preschool Student

Spring is such a wonderful time of year and every day the children notice something different — bulbs sprouting leaves in the garden, tiny buds emerging on the tree branches, and new birds visiting our bird feeder. With spring in the air it is the perfect opportunity to provide children with a variety of different planting activities, and it is amazing how much they enjoy them. Gardening encourages children to learn about the world around them and instills in each of them a love for nature. It provides the opportunity to experiment and promotes social interactions as they compare, discuss and describe to one another what they are doing and what they observe.

Planting a Flower Garden with Montessori Preschool Students

Today we spent an hour or so planting primulas and pansies. Each child chose their favorite plant and had the opportunity to dig a hole for their plant, gently remove it from its pot and then place it in the hole and cover it up with soil. Their squeals of delight when they spotted the roots was music to my ears and the care they took when digging each hole and replacing the soil was adorable. The next job was to fill up a watering can with water and give their plant a little drink.

My four-year-old student Jordan loves to work in the garden, and is the happiest when his hands are covered in dirt! He was so excited about our planting project and knew exactly which primula he wanted to plant. He chose the red one and picked the perfect spot to plant it over by the fig tree. While digging his hole, he came across two earthworms and I heard him explain to a friend how the worms are helpers for the soil and how we always need to respect earthworms. Jordan carefully placed the worms by his red primula and said, “Perfect, now my flower won’t be lonely and the worms will help it grow.” — another beautiful Montessori moment!

This year long series looks at the experiences of teachers, parents, students, and Montessori education itself, as we follow a student through his first year at a Montessori Preschool. Montessori Insights and Reflections of a Preschool Child’s First Year is a collection of useful stories, tips, and information that have arisen from one real student's Montessori journey.

Bree — NAMC Tutor & Graduate

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.