Orchards in Nurseries: Learning to sow

Very good to all Agrohuerters!

Today I am going to tell you about a visit I made before Easter to a NURSERY, the idea was to show children, between 2 and 3 years old, the work that is carried out in some professions and that is where I went as a future agronomist to plant some beans with them.

Planting beans is not exactly what we agronomists do, but it is a good example for children to learn how to plant a seed, where things come from, and they will be able to see day by day how the little seed they planted during the spring evolves, something like what you can see in this cool video:

How was our visit to the Nursery?

When I went to make the visit it was very, very early for them, and for me too, the children had just entered class and some were still in tears for having left their parents or with rheumy eyes wishing to sleep another while. But as soon as we started the activity their attitude took a 180º turn, everyone was expectant and very awake seeing what that man was doing with soil and bean seeds who asked them a lot of absurd things about the field and the flowers.

As you can see, together with my wonderful assistant, we place the substrate in some trays and crumble it because, as we have told you many times, the bag normally comes very flattened and thus we obtain a greater volume of useful soil.

Then we put the soil in some cups in which there was already a hole for drainage, I had to manage the drainage of a lot of cups because there were quite a few children, and we carefully made a hole with our finger in the substrate to put the seed of beans, carefully cover the hole and water with a watering can to conclude the experiment.

After that practical example for the whole class, we handed each one a cup to fill it with earth, that was really crazy because all the children began to throw the earth, fill the glass up to the top, then empty it again and like this infinite times, so we guided the most thuggish children until they all ended up having their seed planted.

The value of planting a bean

It may seem silly, but planting a bean has a very important pedagogical task, to begin with it is an activity that is out of the children’s routine and its practical nature makes them remember it much more, by interacting with new elements such as the earth, the beans and the watering can, they enjoy playing while they learn.

Many of these children did not know the touch of the cultivation substrate, a black earth that sticks to your hands, and I think that the sensitive experience combined with the fact that they did the planting themselves is already a great learning experience.

Later, when they germinate, they can be part of a school garden with all the benefits that they entail, although they are still too young to take care of one. For now, by watering the seed every day, they already acquire the responsibility of caring for a living being and hope that they will be born. the plants. In addition, they will be able to observe all the phenological changes of the same step by step and in different states because not all the seeds will germinate the same or at the same time.

There are many such activities that are carried out today, from the creation of vertical gardens designed by children to the implementation of educational projects of school gardens cultivated by them. I wanted to contribute my bit with this small experience, which although it is much less in magnitude compared to other activities, it is always a first step to develop their concerns regarding respect for the environment, the care of nature and motivate them to water and take care of their plants at home.

I have been lucky enough to talk with some of the parents of the nursery days after the activity and their children still remember all the steps to plant a plant even though it was so early and many were half asleep. These very young children are like sponges and they remember everything as long as you make it enjoyable and fun for them.

I am very glad to have been the driver of this experience, I had a great time with all of them. I would like to thank the members of the nursery for giving me the opportunity to make it possible, I hope that this seed of knowledge germinates in these children, that they continue planting things and taking care of their plants so that they can go with the lesson learned when they have to create a garden in your future school.

All the best