Today we became little gardeners: we prepared the soil, chose the seeds and settled them into pots, one pot per child.
Before planting we talked about what a plant needs in order to grow — soil, water, light and, above all, time. That last one is the hardest to accept at this age: a seed will not sprout by tomorrow, however often we water it. That is exactly why we opened the "Plant Journal", in which the children write down and draw what they see from one day to the next. A journal turns waiting into observation: a child who has to record what changed today starts noticing even the smallest differences, and two weeks later holds their own proof that things grow slowly but surely.
We also talked about the life cycle of plants, from seed to flower and back to seed. Explained on a chart, it stays a diagram to be memorised; watched inside a pot you filled with your own hands, it becomes something you never forget. Responsibility is learned the same way: a plant watered only when you happen to remember does not forgive, and the children quickly understood that caring means a small gesture repeated steadily, not a great burst of enthusiasm shown once.
Our gardening project has room to continue: PlusKids is the only after school in Măgurele with 800 square metres of green space and a playground.
About the after-school programme: https://pluskids.ro/en/after-school