It's finally looking like spring! 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.
For our activity we used our Fairy Kitchen Garden. This was helpful is it provided a focus for our learning and included putting things together which my kids can engage with. Our kit came with a garden tray, fairy house, fairy and Pea shoots.
These are great for our kids, not only do they need just a small space but they are rich in vitamins A and C. They are also suitable for kids who struggle to wait as they grow quickly and you can eat them in two to three weeks. All we needed was some compost.
Once the garden tray has been assembled and filled with damp compost, the next task is to soak the Pea Shoots. This needs to be done for at least six hours so you can use a timer or clock to help kids figure out when they will be able to plant their seeds or put them in water overnight and say it can be done when the kids are ready the next day. You can timetable this into your day if a schedule works best for your kids.
Once they are soaked the peas simply need to be pushed into the compost and covered. Keep the compost damp and in a couple of weeks you can eat the produce. 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.
We were sent a Fairy Garden Kitchen for purposes of review and loved it as an educational tool.
I'm happy to include it in my independent post.
Actually growing something is definetly the best way to teach kids about growing things. I'm actually working on a post about the best edible plants to grow with children, and peas are in there! Thanks for linking up to #KidsandKreativity, hope to see you back next time x
ReplyDeleteI need to do this with my little one, he's a picky eater, but if I can get him involved in the growing too he might get more involved!
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