Care for the environment is an important component of the Montessori method, be it in the classroom or at home.
To love and appreciate the Earth and it’s beauty only gives a child a better understanding of who they are and helps them feel normalized.
We have a lovely set of books at home that teach young children the names of common objects in frequently-visited places and situations. One of the books Mariam has taken an interest in is a book about gardening (see below).
For a while now, I’ve been waiting for the moment to introduce the act of caring for plants to her. In the past, I would show her various plants and have her touch the leaves, repeating phrases like, “be gentle with the leaves, touch them like this. As I said this, I would show her what ‘gentle’ means and model how to interact with them.
As soon as we arrived on the page with the picture of the watering can and it’s label, I took this opportunity to go into our kitchen (where the watering can stays) and show her the similarities between the image and the actual can. I then showed her what we do with the can and allowed her to try watering a few of our house plants herself (with my hand supporting the spout).
Before watering a plant, I talked to her about how the plants are thirsty and need us to care for them. I also told her to rub the leaves gently and say “hi” to the plants, greeting them with enthusiasm.
The picture above is some watering she did for a plant that isn’t doing too well at my parents’ house.
I’d like to give Mariam her own plant to take care of soon. We have a small palm plant that is easy to care for that I’m thinking would work perfectly. Until then, we’ll be watering our plants weekly practicing those ‘care for the environment’ skills.
If you’re interested in introducing a watering can to your child, I’ve included a link below to a child-size watering can..
We purchased Mariam’s watering can from Target’s Dollar Spot for $3. It’s child-sized as well.
If you’d like to learn more about non-toxic plants (in regards to if a child picks the leaves and eats them by mistake), the link for more information is down below.
If you want information about plants that are easy to care for, click the link below. We have a few of the plants listed, and they have lasted us a few years despite the amount of traveling we’ve done or forgetting to water them.