Dear Parents,

Youngsters are fascinated by the notion that a tiny seed can emerge from the ground as a plant. I used that fascination to teach our kids more about the science behind growing living plants. The age-appropriate, hands-on lessons were engaging and gave them a chance to get up close and personal, learning how seeds turn into plants. When kids enjoy what they're learning, they're also more likely to remember it in the future.

The children were taken to see vegetables growing in our campus plant nursery here at The Academy. Then they grew their own coriander and spinach plants in the crèche from seed, which allowed them to get an up-close look at plant growth. They grew kidney beans in transparent cups to see how roots and stems form and sprouted moong dal on kitchen towel to understand the plants’ need for water. As a guest lecturer, we invited Ms. Roshni, The Academy’s horticulture consultant, to talk about the plant and give more information on plant for this age group level.

The crèche students also collected leaves found in and around the campus, sorted them according to size and then enjoyed painting them and creating prints with the leaf impression. Other activities included making salads with fruit and vegetables, observing and sorting pulses and making mosaics with seeds. The children have understood that plants are useful to us in many ways and have even been involved in making paper.

Now that our students are such experts about plants, they shared their new knowledge with Grade

2 students who have just  begun a similar unit of inquiry on plants themselves!