Our Project for the Autumn Term is ‘A World of Plants and trees!’
The children were so excited about our fabulous new sensory garden which we planted last term that we’ve decided to base this term’s project on the plants and trees that grow around us.
In the summer our children loved getting their hands dirty caring for the seedlings, vegetables and fruit that they planted in the nursery garden.
We learned about the growth cycle of plants and how they need water and sun to grow. Our children saw for themselves how some of the plants wilted in the strong sunshine, and how when they watered them the leaf cells filled up with water making the plant strong again.
This term we’ll be taking advantage of the last days of summer by continuing to take our classroom outdoors so that the children can experience local woodland walks and then enjoy some great autumnal activities looking and learning about the changing seasons and how the plants and trees adapt to the differences in temperature and rainfall.
As part of our project the children will look at the varied habitats and environments that plants can live in, including in our own area ……..
……. by the sea shore
…… in woodlands
…….. and on moorlands
Discussions about the environment and conservation can also be incorporated, teaching our children about the importance of preserving the many different species of plants, and also how some planting can help to reverse the damage done by air pollution and climate change. This ties in very well with discussions about who we are, where we live, and how we can help to take care of the planet by taking care of our plants and trees.
We will be arranging activities to cover all 7 areas of learning including:
- Science activities, such as watching how a flower changes colour when left in a vase containing water & food colouring, or looking at the growth circles in wood and the texture of bark.
- Role play to aid children in understanding their world, such as setting up a nursery flower shop with ribbon, transparent paper for wrapping, fabric flowers, vases, etc. Mathematical skills such as counting money, matching like and different flowers etc are encouraged through play.
- Cookery activities using fruits, vegetables and herbs lead to discussions about plants forming a healthy and important part of our diet. Discussions about food crops and harvest time fit in well in this Autumn term.
- Songs and rhymes about plants and growing such as ‘Mary, Mary’, ‘All around the Mulberry Bush’, ‘Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley grow’ are always enthusiastically performed.
- For our art lovers, we will include a wide variety of arts and crafts activities that tie in nicely with our project such as bark rubbings, autumn leaves collages and looking at the plants or flowers painted by famous artists such as Monet’s “Sunflowers” and Van Gough’s “Irises”. Our children love to get involved with making our nursery displays and we have a wide range of different media to encourage everyone’s creativity!
Our children have a natural curiosity for learning about plants and how they grow…………
“Why do leaves fall off the trees in autumn?”
“How tall can a bean-stalk grow?”
“How do we get bread from wheat?”
“How do bees know where the best flowers grow?”
If you have a love of plants and gardening, or if you have any interesting items that our children might like to see relating to our project, please ask a teacher how you can get involved. The children are always eager to welcome parents or family members into the nursery. We’d particularly like you to come in to read us any children’s stories that relate to this topic.
We’re all really excited about our project this term and hope that it will encourage our children to take the first steps towards developing a life-long love of the amazing diversity of plants that grow around us.
