No matter how many times you have passed by a garden, there is always something waiting to be discovered.
Students were super excited to be in the garden while it drizzled. I asked them to sit on the grass, to close their eyes and to simply listen to the sounds of the garden. They enjoyed melodious dance of the leaves and chirping of birds. Next they were asked to open their eyes and just observe how differently each tree dances as wind blows through it. It was so exciting for the young gardeners to notice the sounds and sights of the garden for the first time.
I made them breath deeply under the Neem tree and then to come out and do the same. They noticed the difference and felt refreshing under the Neem tree. A small discussion why trees are so important and what a single tree is doing in your garden followed. They were given a challenge to find some clues! This stirred eagerness to discover more.
It turned out to be a treasure hunt when I asked them to find ant holes, nests and also to discover which bird lives in those nests. My young gardeners ran all around the garden to be the first ones to find the answers. One group shouted that they found a crow feeding its babies and the whole class rushed that tree.
While our little venture lasted, students found mushrooms growing under a tree, went on a bug hunt and then searched for all the birds that they can find and chased kittens around the garden! The best part was that they dint wanted to go back to their classes. students in their classes kept standing up and continued to peek outside to see what was happening.
It was deeply refreshing for me to see them running all around the garden, digging up clues, flipping leaves to find bugs and then shouting and running away screeming at a sight of even a minute little bug!
Aah…the experience can not be expressed, it can only be felt.
Aah…the experience can not be expressed, it can only be felt.
~ Happy Gardening
I wish I would be in 4th or 5th grade at this time at DPS!!! In our time there were no gardening classes:-(
ReplyDeleteAfshan .. alumni is always welcomed.
ReplyDeletethe classes are for grade 1-8 .. some teachers hv shown interest too.. so IA we ll arange that soon.. you can alway join in for any class u like...