CU 5.04Gardening Outdoors

1. 1

   Walk to the bed with the child, carrying the trowel pointed down. Feel the soil together.

2. 2

   Dig a hole as deep as the seedling's pot. Tip the seedling out, holding it by a leaf, not the stem.

3. 3

   Set it in the hole, push the soil back around it, and press gently.

4. 4

   Push a row marker in beside it: 'This sign shows what we planted here.'

5. 5

   Water slowly at the base of the plant until the soil is dark and damp.

6. 6

   On another day, show weeding: find a plant with no marker, hold it at the base, and pull straight up. Put it in the bucket.

7. 7

   Visit the bed with the child several times a week: feel the soil, water if dry, and look for new leaves, flowers, or fruit.

8. 8

   Return tools to their outlines and wash hands.

What catches the child’s eye

• Tipping a seedling out of its pot and seeing white roots holding the shape of the soil
• Finding a bean pod or flower that was not there last week

Extensions, easiest to hardest

1. Keep a garden journal with a drawing each week
2. Measure a sunflower against the child's own height
3. Harvest beans, peas, or lettuce, wash them, and prepare them at the snack table
4. Save seeds from a dried sunflower head or bean pod for next year
5. Start a compost bin and feed the bed with compost