Discovery Play Activities with Your Young Child: Gardening

Discovery Play Activities with Your Young Child: Gardening

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STEM

Science

Cross-cutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Levels of Thinking

Foundational
Expanding

Resources are categorized by whether they target foundational levels of thinking or levels of thinking that extend past foundational levels (expanding).

Suggested AdaptationS

Check out our guide to adaptations. Adapt for environment, materials, instruction.

General Guide to Adaptations

Description

Help your child recognize and understand that plants grow when they receive the right amount of sunlight, food, and water by starting a garden. This garden can be outdoors or indoors in containers (e.g., terrarium, egg carton, paper towel in a plastic bag). Extend your child’s STEM learning by charting plant growth each day.

Environment

  • Put materials and tools within reach
  • Wear sunglasses/hat if sensitive to bright light

Materials

Add tape/grip around gardening tools to make them easier to grasp

Instruction

  • Use visual cues to show the steps for planting.
  • Provide hand-over-hand support to help child explore earth materials and plants better

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STEM Ideas/Words

STEMIE Learning Trajectories