The Montessori Child at Home: Gardening with Ml.
Ml. and her family are avid gardeners. They have a large vegetable patch that Ml. has been a part of since she was very small. Her favourite job, other than eating the produce, is watering.
Ml. was almost 4 when these pictures were taken so a garden hose does not pose a problem for her. As we saw in this post younger children find it easier to fill a small watering can from a larger container. (Safety note: young children must always be supervised when watering. Even an inch of water in a large container can pose a drowning threat.) I wonder what Ml. found in that enormous cabbage?
There are many wonderful things to be found in a garden and exploration is part of the fun. It is important to let a child fully explore. Plants might get trampled or uprooted and these are great 'teachable moments'. By comparing the trampled plant to the untrampled ones or by explaining what roots are and how they help the plant grow are excellent ways to draw a child's attention to plant care.
How satisfying it is for a young child to help gather the fruit and vegetables at the end of the season.
Finally, Ml. makes a salad with vegetables she has picked from the garden. Practical life, sensorial, botany, zoology - all lessons learned in the classroom and practiced while gardening at home.
How fulfilling she must feel with her sense of independence...that's great.
I am a parent of a student at a Montessori preschool. I am making a little video to share with the parents one evening at school about how to bring the Montessori methods into their home. I was wondering if I could have permission to use the photograph of the little girl watering her garden. It shows such great independence!