Soil and sand hold an amazing fascination for children. They love to dig in it , throw it about , examine it as one would for precious gems, and occasionally, eat it, as a child so exhuberantly demonstrated at playgroup the other day.
Soil can be really handy for kids to practise scientific investigation. In fact, they already do that to a large extent. But you could make it more meaningful by providing opportunities for them and being the ever-useful Dr Watson to your lil’ Sherlock Holmes.
Set up a rock and stone collection at home. With your child, carefully observe the different colours, shapes and textures of the various rocks that you bring home from the park or the beach. Help your child sort them out according to texture, size, colour or a classification of their own making.
Ask your child what soil is made of . Help them examine how soil feels like , how it looks like ( colours, what’s in it e.g. bits of leaves, stones) and how it smells. Nevermind about tasting it. They’ll do it without our help. How are different types of soil different ? You could let her try exploring potting soil and ‘burnt soil’ and playground soil. Better still, if there’s a beach nearby, investigate how sand and soil by the beach are different from the samples in your garden.
Provide tools for investigation. Use a magnifying glass. What can you see. Examine sand on the beach and sand in the sandbox: look for bits of coral, bits of shell, plants. What happens when you pour water into sand ? What happens when you pour water into soil?
Remember though to check for broken bits of glass and metal . And wash your hands after handling soil and sand.
No Comments on "Rocks and gardens"