The past several weeks we have been learning about plants through our plant unit. This is probably my favorite unit to teach all year because I have been around plants my whole life. My grandparents started a greenhouse business over 60 years ago that now my mom and her sister own in Gaffney. I spent many summers and days after school working there from Jr. High through college. My dad owns a landscaping and irrigation business as well. I have childhood memories of bagging vegetable seeds and weighing them for customers at his store. Then I married a man whose degree is Turfgrass Management and he is a superintendent of greens at a golf course. So, teaching our plant unit each year is lots of fun for me and I usually bring in my mom or husband to help with some of the activities.
The first week we learned about the characteristics of living and nonliving things. We learned that living things grow and change, reproduce, and need air, water, and food to survive. The second week we learned about the parts of a plant, each part's job, and the life cycle of plants. This week we planted our garden that is right outside of our classroom. We planted marigolds from my moms greenhouse for color and to help keep the bugs away. Then we planted rows of lettuce, radishes, and beans. My sweet husband came to help the kids with the planting. We are hoping to see them begin to sprout soon. Next week we will begin to learn about what plants give us and conclude our unit the following week with a fruit tasting party!!
