Springtime Fun and Learning at Home Spring, a great time of year to get back into the sunshine and take advantage of teachable moments with your children. If you’re planning a flower, herb or vegetable garden, you have the perfect setting for learning across all content areas and grade levels. Math Math is an easy subject to tackle in the garden. How many seeds should you plant in the garden? It’s all about measurement – with a tape measure, measure the area of the garden. Then, look at the directions on the seed packet to find out how much space each seed will need to grow. Once you understand how many seeds you should plant, go back to the directions to find out how deep each seed should be planted. Use a ruler to space the seeds and to make holes for the seeds at the proper depth. Writing Keep a journal of how your garden is performing. Start with planting day, and write regularly about events that may affect the growth – rain, dry spells, insect infestation, theft by rabbit, etc. Looking back over the journal helps to gain a better understanding of what made the garden Education Matters Dino Papadopoulos, Owner & Executive Director Sylvan Learning successful or unsuccessful, and will inform next year’s planning. Science A garden holds a wealth of opportunities for experimentation. Do some fertilizers work better than others? What happens if the garden is watered every other day instead (Continued on page 13) 12
13 Publizr Home