One of my favorite areas of our property is our Charleston-style side garden with its lush greenery, native trees, colorful flowers and flowing fountain. It’s a wonderful place to relax with a book, visit with a friend or simply ‘be’. It’s also an area that needs frequent care: watering, misting, trimming, weeding, sweeping, etc. This makes it the perfect place to work on practical life skills and care of the environment.

It was a beautiful morning, so we started the day outside before it became too warm. It didn’t take long to notice the plants outside were in need of water. I held the watering can, exaggerating my movements, while he misted. We chatted as we watered and worked. As we moved toward our Crepe Myrtle, I felt it was a good time to share a little information about the purpose of the tree. I explained how it is a contributor to life as both a plant and a home for animals. We then imagined how it might feel to be planted in soil and function as a tree (See previous blog post: A Mister In Hand). As soon as we finished, he asked to go inside the house. I knew he had something in mind and so I ‘followed the child’.

Once in the house, he wanted to work with the ‘Parts of the Tree’ puzzle. I could almost see the brain-wiring connections he was making from the tree conversation and time outside. The puzzle was serving as a learning extension for him. As he worked with the puzzle, he seemed to have a greater comfort level with its different parts: the roots, trunk, branches, stems and leaves, and how each functions.

Meanwhile, from my observations, the seeds of our conversation appeared to be firmly planted in him and, like the tree, his roots of learning were growing stronger and deeper. There’s a world of growing trees for him yet to discover, care for and learn about. I’ll continue to prepare activities for their growth …

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