Ready, Set, Grow!

March in Virginia has been absolutely gorgeous.  The snow is melted, the weather is balmy jacket-to-none sort of weather.  It is that brief time between being too cold and being too hot, where the blossoms are just figuring out it's their time to arrive, but the bugs haven't yet.  My favorite time of year.
Hubbard's Cupboard suggested a theme of 'Bread' for the month.  Okay, ummm... B-O-R-I-N-G!  How could I stay inside making bread when nature beckons us to emerge from our den and explore the miracles unfolding?
This month's theme will be 'Seeds and Growing'. I mean really, did I have a choice?
Here are some things we've done so far this month:
We collected seeds.  Every time we eat a piece of fruit or vegetable, it becomes a science experiment.  Some of the seeds we found include: lemon, peach, plum, apple, orange, strawberry, banana...We also found seeds outside on our hikes in the forms of nuts, pine cones, seeds in 'helicopters' and seeds in 'fuzz'...

We sorted seeds. In an ice cube tray- by size, color, & shape.
We made connections between fruit and the plants they come from (ie: apple seeds grow apple trees, lemon seeds grow lemon trees, etc.)

We planted seeds.  Tomato and bean for our little garden.  I realized afterwards that we could have just used a biodegradable egg carton. Wouldn't have saved much money, but would have saved me a trip to Target (not that I'm complaining!)

We nurtured the seeds (every day!), and talked about how they need water, sunlight, and soil to grow.

We listened to seed songs: Oats and Beans and Barley Grow, by Raffi

We read seed books: The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle
We watched a program: "Doggie Garden" Clifford the Big Red Dog

We created a seed craft (with bird seed and collected seeds) and practiced letters. We also practiced reading the labels on the identification flags...

We talked about how all things start small and God makes them grow.  Plants need sunshine, soil and water to grow.  We need food, water, clothes, shelter and LOVE :-) to help us grow.
Memory Verse: "Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation...' And it was so." Genesis 1:11

{John-Paul, 29 months, giving extra soil to some new arrivals ;-)}