PLANTING

INTRODUCTION
in school. For example, by growing plants
from seeds, students enhance what they
study in Natural Sciences. While monitoring
Like younger students, lower elementary the growth of their plants, students use
students enjoy planting seeds, caring for skills they are developing in Mathematics,
plants, and watching them grow. Since such as measuring, charting, and drawing
gardening is a valued and popular activity in graphs. Students can also make links
every Montessori classroom, many students between the plants they are growing in the
at the lower elementary level will already classroom and what they are learning in the
have gardening experience. Few will have Five Great Lessons and in History about
none at all. how early humans first cultivated plants
for food.
The Planting activities in this section help
students make connections between what Many Montessori classrooms contain
they observe in nature and what they study indoor plants that the students care for

6–9 Advanced Practical Life 89 © NAMC - North American Montessori Center

year-round. However, most Montessori • Make a “watering tray” by placing a small
teachers try to present Planting activities pitcher of water and an eyedropper on a
like the ones in this section at a time of year small tray. Keep this tray in a permanent
when it is possible to take advantage of spot on a shelf in the Practical Life area,
increasing light and warmth — nature’s best near a sink. Students will use the
growing conditions. In the Northern watering tray for all Growing Things
Hemisphere, for example, this optimal activities, and be responsible for refilling
growing time of year will occur in early the pitcher as a courtesy to the next
spring. If the school has an outdoor area, student using the watering tray.
the students can prepare an outdoor
garden, then transplant to the outdoor • Make small cardboard signs that read I
garden the seedlings nurtured indoors. Am Watered, then tape the signs securely
to wooden craft sticks. Students can
Prior to introducing these Planting activities, then stick one of these signs into the soil
teachers can discuss with the students of a plant after it has been watered. The
several topics that help instill in the sign alerts the other students that a plant
students a wonder and appreciation does not need any more water that day.
for nature: (The signs will need to be removed at the
end of every day or on a schedule that
• the beauty of plants allows the plants to dry out a bit between
waterings.) Another idea is to put a red
• the new life that planting brings
dot (for Stop) on some craft sticks. A
• the common needs of plants: sunlight, student who has just watered a plant will
water, and air place a Stop stick in the soil as a sign
that the plant does not need any more
Tips for presenting water that day.
Planting activities
• With the students, work out a schedule
• Caution students about over-watering the
for caring for the plants. A schedule
seeds that they have planted. Explain
might assign a job such as watering to
that seeds will not flourish if they are too
students on a rotating basis.
wet, and that moist soil just slightly damp
to the touch works best. • To enhance their practical experience,
encourage students to help care for
• Instead of giving students a watering
houseplants and outdoor plants at
can, provide an eyedropper. Using an
their homes.
eyedropper both helps avoid over-
watering and controls the amount of
water given to a plant. Using an
eyedropper also provides the student
with an opportunity to practice fine motor
skills and develop hand-eye coordination.

6–9 Advanced Practical Life 90 © NAMC - North American Montessori Center

 ACTIVITY 1

Making Grass-Cup People

Purpose Container of extra soil, enough for

all students.
To practice creativity, motor skills, patience,
and caring for another living thing; to Watering tray containing a pitcher of water
provide the right conditions for a plant and an eyedropper.
to grow; to appreciate how plants grow
in nature. Presentation
• Most Montessori teachers present this
Material activity in Year 1.
Tray containing: tacky craft glue; bowl of
pompoms; dish of googly eyes; dish of pipe • In advance, prepare material and place it
cleaners pre-cut into 2-inch (5-cm) sections; on a tray, then place the tray on a shelf.
dish of grass seed; bowl of potting soil,
• Place the clear plastic cups and
approximately 1 cup (250 mL), and a
container of extra soil on the shelf next to
small scoop.
the tray.
Clear plastic cups, enough for all students.
• Place the watering tray in a permanent
Permanent marker and a roll of location on a shelf in the Practical
masking tape. Life area.

6–9 Advanced Practical Life 91 © NAMC - North American Montessori Center

PART 1: GETTING READY • Explain that the glue will need to set
• Announce that students will have an undisturbed for a couple of minutes.
opportunity to make something
interesting that has a cup for a head and • Once the glue is set and the googly eyes,
grass for hair. pompom, and pipe cleaner seem well
attached to the cup, take the small scoop
• Go to the shelf where the tray of material and potting soil from the tray, then scoop
(tacky glue, googly eyes, and so on) for potting soil into the cup until it is about
this activity is kept, take one plastic cup three-quarters full.
from the shelf and add the cup to the
material on the tray, then bring the tray to • Pick up a small amount of grass seed
the work area. For now, leave the (tip: use fingertips) and sprinkle the seed
watering tray on the shelf. on top of the soil.

• Explain the activity: Students will make a • Sprinkle another scoop or two of soil
“grass-cup person.” First, the students onto the seeds, just enough to cover
will use pompoms and other material to them, then to gently pat the soil covering
create a face on a cup. Then, the the seeds.
students will fill the cup with soil and
plant grass seeds in the
soil. The students will
care for the seeds, and
in time, the seeds will
sprout, producing grass
that looks like hair on
the grass-cup person.

PART 2: MAKING
GRASS-CUP PEOPLE
• Take the plastic cup
from the tray and place
it on the work area. Take the tacky craft • Tear off a piece of masking tape which
glue, two googly eyes, a pompom, and a is large enough for your initials (or name)
pipe cleaner from the tray, then make a and which will fit on the plastic cup.
face on the cup by gluing on two googly Write your initials on the tape with the
eyes, then gluing on the pompom for a permanent marker, then stick the tape
nose and the pipe cleaner for a mouth. to the cup. Explain that when making
their own grass-cup people, students

6–9 Advanced Practical Life 92 © NAMC - North American Montessori Center

 will want to write their names or initials
on their cups in order to monitor the
progress of the seeds.

PART 3: TAKING CARE

OF THE GRASS-CUP PEOPLE
• Bring the watering tray from the shelf to
the work area.

• If necessary, demonstrate how to use the

eyedropper to collect some water from
the pitcher, then water the seeds in the
cup until the soil over the seeds is moist.
Ask the students to feel the soil, to
experience what moist soil feels like.

• Explain that in order to grow, seeds

need to receive not only soil and water,
but also sunlight. Place the cup in a
sunny spot in the classroom, such as
a windowsill. • Also remind students to refill the water
pitcher as a courtesy to the next student
• With the students, discuss that the seeds
who needs to water plants.
will need to be watered regularly, but not
over-watered, and set up a schedule for Extensions
watering. Explain that with proper care,
• Monitor the growth of the grass daily,
the seeds will grow into grass in a couple
and keep a written record of the dates
of weeks, and that this grass will look like
and times the cups are watered, as well
hair on the grass-cup person.
as the weather (sunny or cloudy) on
• Encourage the students to make each day.
grass-cup people on their own.
• Measure the growth of the grass with a
• Remind the students to clean the work ruler, and then make a chart or graph
area, to place the appropriate material showing the growth.
back on the activity tray and the watering
tray, then to return the trays to their • Instead of grass, plant other kinds of
proper places on the shelves when fast-growing seeds, such as alfalfa,
finished the activity. radish, and mung.

6–9 Advanced Practical Life 93 © NAMC - North American Montessori Center