Today’s exploration of seeds made connections to the jobs we’ve been practicing in the classroom.  The Tugboats help our classroom run smoothly by ringing the Stop, Look and Listen Bell, feeding the fish, helping set up snack and leading our class as we walk in line.  What is a seed’s job and why is it important?

It should be no surprise that our brilliant students were able to tell us that a seed’s job is to grow a plant.  They were excited to make the connection that we collected our seeds from fully grown plants that had first grown from another seed!  We talked about the two most important things a seed needs to grow: water and sunlight.  When a seed grows in the ground, the soil makes it difficult for us to see how the seed’s progress into a seedling and then a plant.  To create an environment in which the children can still observe the growth, we planted some of our beans in wet paper towels wrapped in plastic and taped them to the window.  We’ll be able to monitor our seeds’ progress and should see some sprouts within a week!

We’ve also been collecting leaves from the park and keeping them in the sensory table.  So far we have collected red leaves and brown leaves.  We’re keeping our eyes peeled for yellow and orange!  This afternoon, we’re looking forward to using tempera paint to try to mix up our own shade of brown.  Wish us luck!