A First Harvest

Gardening has taken over our play and work outside.  Every day finds us checking on how the plants are growing, flowering and now producing!  It has been an exciting adventure from the first day we brought out the seeds and pushed them into the soil and watched as they sprouted.  We tended the soil surrounding the new plants and carefully watered and transplanted.  






Today a few carrots were ready to be harvested!  Everyone was amazed as the long, orange roots emerged from the dirt.  Wow!!  They all exclaimed and we talked about how they are like.  We carefully looked and saw the strong root and the small hair like ones that collected dirt.  Everyone helped at the hose to rinse it off.  Then we tasted them.  What a satisfying feeling to eat something that we have cared for.  And it tasted really good!

 

Gardening is central to our life at Tumbleweeds.  Offering children the ability care for something over a long period of time allows for the opportunity to build a natural appreciation of life and how good responsibility can feel.  It's also a great way for children to learn where our food comes from, how it grows, while supporting healthy eating.  Gathering our own snacks right from the dirt is exciting and makes food taste so much better!  Every year I look forward to what our harvest will bring and every year is different, just as we grow and change as the seasons change.