Spring is definitely here - infact it has almost felt like summer recently! Understanding the world around us is one of the fundamental areas of learning for all kids. Many autistic kids like ours need concrete or physical activities to engage them and help them learn. So if we are want to learn about growing, then the best thing to do is actually grow something.
We've done plenty of ad hoc teaching when we are out and about, looking at buds and blossom on the trees and the flowers in the garden. Many kids with autism need over-teaching and help generalising. We've looked at things growing outside, but there really is nothing like growing something yourself.
We are close to getting some tomato plants from neighbours to grow but we've also grown things from a seed which really adds to the learning. We have used a kit and this makes it a bit special as it's our kids own creation. We used a Fairy Kitchen garden kit which was helpful is it provided a focus for our learning and included assembling things together which my kids can engage with. Our kit came with a garden tray, fairy house, fairy and Pea shoots.
Once the garden tray had been assembled and filled with damp compost, the next task was to soak the Pea Shoots. This needed to be done for at least six hours so we used a timer to help the kids figure out when they would be able to plant their seeds.
Once they were soaked the peas simply needed to be pushed into the compost and covered. We had to keep the compost damp and in a couple of weeks it was done. The Pea shoots started coming through after about five days and it was really good for the kids to watch them grow longer almost on a daily basis. Jane loved the fairy house and said that the fairy on the fence was watching over the plants which is very sweet.
Have you any ideas to help kids learn about seasons or growing plants? I'd love to hear about them.
This post has been included by Twinkl in their blog on Extracurricular Activities
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