Weeks 33 & 34 (with Plants)

[Julie in MN]

Art Card 20

The final Art Card of Monet's garden (as well as the Plant experiments) is a great segue into summer. You could keep the Art Card on display all month and the plant book out for reading again, then start a summer garden with sunflowers or a child-friendly veggie, having the 1st grader help loosen the soil, plant seeds, pull weeds, etc. My grandson and I used our thinking skills to experiment with what might be a weed and what likely wasn't. He progressed from being scared of crawly things in the dirt to having worm-finding contests with Nana just by being out in the dirt for a certain part of each day with me. Admittedly, garden gloves were a great help in that department!

Nature walks could also continue over the summer, especially if you ran out of time for them during the school year. We have walked around a different park each week, or walked around the same one and spotted any changes over time. Compare what you've seen to the art card and discuss whether the artist captured the feelings you experienced.

Photos are a great way to remember these special times, even printing them out on a sort of "notebook page" for the young ones to "read" (or narrate).

Happy Summer!