Getting Their Hands Dirty

The kids had a field trip to a greenhouse planned through their preschool today. Despite the rain, we bundled up in sweatshirts and raincoats and made the long drive to the nursery.

When everyone first arrived, the kids were in constant motion and anxious to get started. Joyce, the wonderful woman who led the group, heard a bird whistling nearby and gestured to the class to calm down a bit. Then, she explained to the children that if they could be still and quiet they could go see a bird nesting in the rocks a short distance away. As the kids nodded, she led them across the parking lot to a place where a killdeer had a tiny nest among the rocks.

The small eggs, nestled in the rocks next to the white water pipe, are light gray with black speckles and blend in so well that most of the kids could not even see them! When the male and female both began squawking at us, we quickly moved the kids over to the greenhouse to begin the tour.

After admiring many beautiful plants and flowers, the kids had the opportunity to plant their own flowers. They each picked a lovely, decorative pastel flower pot and lined up at the planting table to wait for instructions.

Next, they filled their pots with soil.

After making a hole in the soil, they placed a pretty, red begonia into the pot, filled the remaining space with more soil, and patted it down.

The whole class had a great time and learned a bit about plants, too. I think we'll be making a return trip in a couple weeks once we put in our garden, so we can purchase some vegetables as well. I hope the kids will be just as excited to help me with our new garden. Maybe they'll even like weeding...