We try to take advantage of the sunny days as much as we can in our house. I can not stand being cooped up inside. Something I thank my mother for because she always made us play outside on days when it wasn't rainy or too cold. I later realised this was to keep the house clean. Something I didn't appreciate as a child, but with two little ones of my own, I totally understand and they haven't even reached the age of inviting friends over yet! I can definitley add "maid" to my resume.
We've been spending a lot of time at the zoo or finding an orchard or farm somewhere to visit. Last weekend we went mandarin picking for the second time this year. Although, Lachlan says he doesn't like mandarins, he certainly enjoys the orchard experinece. I always found an orchard to be somewhat magical when I was a child; running along the rows of trees, weaving through low branches trying to get lost in hopes that you could be smart and brave enough to find your way back. An orchard appeals to the senses as well: sweet smells and tastes, soft grass, smooth leaves, the sounds of birds singing and pruning shears clicking; followed by a soft thud as the fruit joins the others in the bucket. Oh, how I love a day at an orchard!
Lachlan found his magic in the tree ladders. He'd climb to the top platform and look at the tree in search for the perfect mandarin to pick. Once he'd find it we would hear "this one, Daddy!" My darling husband, no matter how far away or how high up a ladder he was would stop what he was doing to clip that perfect mandarin for Lachlan.
I wasn't much help in the orchard this time around. I was carrying our 12 week old so I merely supervised and most importantly tested a mandarin from each tree to ensure its sweetness. Sometimes I wasn't quite sure and did a second run just to be certain--very important and tedious business, I tell you. What ever would the boys have done without my tasting expertise?
I particularly enjoyed Lachlan helping his daddy out. They have that special father-son bond that any parent would hope for. He loves his dad and likes to mimic him; such an important process in the developing child. Sentimental me tried to capture every moment I could with the camera hoping that the feeling would forever live in the photo;sometimes a photo is truely worth a thousand words.
After our mandarin picking adventures, Lachlan became more interested in seeds and how things grow. I always cut an apple for him crosswise so he can see the little star that lives inside. This week, Lachlan wanted to keep the seeds and asked if we could plant them. It was late at night so I told him we could in the morning. He gripped the seeds so tight in his hand and keep them safe and warm. He even slept with them that evening. In the morning we went headed out to the garage to find a pot and some soil to plant his seeds. During this process, Lachlan dropped his seeds somewhere never to be found. He was very disappointed and of course there had to be no more apples in the house to replace them! I promised him he could plant seeds and I wasn't going to break it. I went in the house and dug through my seed drawer to see what I could find. I took the whole drawer out for Lachlan to pick something. While he was doing this he discovered the labeling stakes and decided to created design with those as well.
Lachlan in the end decided to plant some sugar snap peas. You can tell by the pictures he was very involved every step of the way. In fact he did all the labour. I only guided him by asking questions to see if he knoew what to do next. I always beleive in speaking in developmentally appropriate detail to children.Sometimes we 'dumb down' our talk thinking they won't understand; however children are very capable of understanding more than we think. How else will the make connections to the world unless we provoke thought through conversation. Our process went something like this:
First, we find a pot and soil and discuss that we are preparing a nice little bed to plant our seeds in...
As stated in other blogs of mine, provocation is so important for the learning process; asking questions to expand on what children already know is very helpful to their cognitive/problem-solving skills. Lachlan did really well coming up with the answers. He knew a lot more about gardening then I would have given him credit for. I suppose he pays attention to hubby and me in the veggie patch after all. Either way I hope he has a little green thumb. Time will tell! Why not try planting a seed with your little one. It is a great first lesson of life, the responsibilty of caring for something and even teaches children about death. I'm just hoping our little peas make it to the seedling stage first, as Lachlan is watering the heck out of it! Peas are a great plant to grow with children though as their germination is only 7-10 days. It is a relatively short length of time, though for a child it can seem like an eternity. Lachlan's immediatley began staring at his pot, and staring and staring and waiting and waiting. Guess I'll go wait with him. Until next time, Happy gardening!
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