Glove Gardens
This post is simply to share the success of our "glove gardens" from the "In a Garden" unit.
Preparation:
Materials include one glove and 5 cotton balls per child. Also crucial parts of this long-term activity are the SEEDS! In our glove gardens are cosmos (1), hollyhock (2), green pea (3), sunflower (4), and carrot (5). I chose a combination of flowers and vegetable seeds in order to get a greater diversity of sprout time, sprout type, and examples of what people grow!Process:
Beforehand, label each glove with the child's name and label each finger with a number. As a whole group, we looked at the seed types that we had to plant in each finger. We made predictions ("best guesses") about how long it would take to see sprouts, where we should put the gardens, how often we should water them. Let them be a part of the decision-making process!Then, we sat at our tables and I gave out the gloves. They picked one cotton ball and stuffed one in each finger, which tests and works fine motor skills. Then they went into centers and I was able to work one-on-one to help them drop the seeds in the corresponding finger spots and apply the first water sprays (there's those fine motor skills again!). After all seeds have been placed and watered, I clothespinned the gloves to the blinds on our large classroom window for access to sunlight. After all glove gardens have been placed by the window, I watered them with 3-5 squirts from a mini water bottle sprayer each day and we watched them sprout and grow!
*Be prepared for some anomalies! One green pea seed got moldy and actually turned red and one seed had a gnat trapped inside the finger spot with it that died there and so we saw it every time we checked that particular seed. However, just about all seeds ended up sprouting, so I was very pleased with them overall!
*I also left the seed packets (with the number labels) displayed on our front whiteboard for reference. My kids asked me multiple times which seeds were in which spots, so this was a way for me to remember and for them to be able to find the answer by investigation!
P.S. I used these glove gardens as part of our Mother's Day cards/gifts as a twist on the always adorable potted plant! The seeds from the finger spots are easily transferable if anyone at home wanted to keep their garden growing in the ground! Just stapled and glued onto cardstock for stability :)
Happy growing!
Stay safe and sweet, y'all.
