Planting Flowers and Collaging Seeds

R was 15 months old at the time of this activity

Book: 

June 29, 1999 by David Weisner – R and I read, “June 29, 1999” together. I pointed to and named the gigantic vegetables on each page. R enjoyed flipping through the pages over and over. When I closed the book, she would say “book” and demand to have another read through. This book is a great way to inspire scientific investigation in children. I look forward to reading this book again with her when she is older and we can conduct experiments together.

Activity:

1. Crayon Resist Watercolour Painting

I drew daffodils on watercolour paper with crayon. R practiced her brush strokes using blue and green watercolour paint. She poked at the beaded water that would sit on top of the crayon. Her favourite part of painting is dipping the brush in the paint and she does so with precision. I can really see how much R has improved on her control of the brush and coordination. The more we paint, the better her fine motor skills get!

 

 

Extension Activities:
a. Instead of the adult, have the child do the crayon step.
b. Discuss why water beads on top of crayon and it doesn’t on top of paper.

Fairy Gardens

R was 15 months old at the time of this activity

Book: 

I’m a Seed by Jean Marzollo – R enjoyed the book we read today and listened intently.  It is about two seeds (a marigold and pumpkin seeds) that compare their growth.  I love the illustrations in this book!

Activity:

1. Fairy Garden Sensory Play

 I had wanted to make a fairy garden outside in our actual garden, but the ground was super soggy after the rain, so I made one inside.  I combined two wooden trays with a tree stump tray.  I used soil, water and variety of mosses ground cover in the trays.  I added embellishments with gems, modelling clay mushrooms, flowers from the garden, a wooden fence and a metal bird cage.  Finally, to enhance imaginative play, I added R’s finger puppets that her auntie got for her.  R learned that not all things we play with are to be destroyed.  I used the command, “nice” to encourage her to not be destructive.  She actually listened and played quite gently with everything.  R and I counted the flowers in the water.  She splashed the water with her hands and said, “tash tash” (splash splash).  I asked her to put the puppets to sleep.  She placed two of them on the moss grass and patted them and said, “nini” (the punjabi word for sleep).  She made the wizard and unicorn hop around while saying, “hop hop hop”.  She loved putting gems and the puppets into the bird cage and saying, “cha-thi” (punjabi word for peek-a-boo).  All together, there was a lot of language skills development and imaginative play going on!

Extension Activities:
a. With older children, discuss what s/he thinks belongs in a fairy garden.
b. Have him/her make their own fairy garden adding items s/he thinks are necessary.

Catching Sun and Growing Willows

R was 15 months old at the time of this activity

Book: 

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert – Growing Vegetable Soup is a great book with vibrant colours about a father and son who grow vegetables from seeds to harvest.  There is even a recipe for vegetable soup at the end!

Activity:

1. Planting Sunflowers

We planted sunflower seeds in the pot R painted yesterday (I added some embellishments with black marker).  We first examined the seeds together and I used the word “small” to describe them for her.  She helped me place the seeds into the soil.  She definitely liked doing the watering part of the activity the most!

 

 

Extension Activities:
a. Older children can add embellishments with marker on their own.
b. Review all the things a plant needs to survive, discussing the importance of watering regularly.
c. Plant multiple plants with your child to compare the growth of each plant

Feeling the Garden

R was 15 months old at the time of this activity

Book: 

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss – R enjoyed sitting in my lap and listening to, “The Carrot Seed”. Whether you consider this book about faith, determination, or perseverance, it’s a wonderful read!

Activity:

1. Painting Pots

Painting on different surfaces is fun! Today R painted a clay pot. I was impressed by her ability to hold the pot in one hand and paint it at the same time with the other. Since we used non-toxic washable Crayola paints (my daughter still has a tendency to put things in her mouth) for the pot, the paint didn’t show up very well. If you want the colours to be really bright, I suggest using acrylic paints.

 

Extension Activities:
a. Once the paint dries, use a black permanent marker to add details. I added details on R’s pot.

Grassy Heads and Window Plants

R was 15 months old and K was 19 months old at the time of this activity

Book: 

In the Garden by Green Start – It was both a joy and a bit of a challenge to read to two toddlers.  They both wanted to hold the book while I read it (unfortunately I didn’t have two copies!).  This book is beautifully illustrated and has great text features such as image labels.

Activity:

1. Wheatgrass Heads

I helped both kids take turns pouring soil into their plastic cups that I had decorated for them.  I then got them to first hold the grass seeds in their hands and then dump them into their cups.  I have a small spray bottle for R to use to water her grass head everyday.  Squeezing the spray bottle will be a great way to develop R’s motor skills.

 

 

Extension Activities:
a. Older children can decorate their own plastic cup faces with the prompt, “If your plant had a face, what would it look like?”
b. Discuss all the things a plant needs to survive, and together, find the best home for the wheatgrass head to ensure survival.