Student Contributor -K. Woody
In this project students planted sunflowers, as well as made cards to give as gifts for Mother’s Day. The students each planted their own sunflower plant and got to watch it grow over the span of a couple weeks. Students also filled out an “All About My Mom” worksheet and drew a portrait of their mother’s. The worksheet and portraits were later laminated for students and given to their mothers.
I first introduced the project to my kindergartners, explaining why we were making cards and planting sunflowers for Mother’s Day. I emphasized the importance of showing love and appreciation to our mothers, who play a vital role in our lives and in our community. The students eagerly embraced the idea, and we began the project by planting our sunflower seeds. Each week students were able to watch the growth of their sunflower plants as well as transplant them into larger pots before giving them to their mothers. The week of Mother’s Day I sat down with each student and helped them fill out an “All About My Mom” worksheet. Students then drew and colored portraits of their mothers. I attached the worksheet and portrait together and laminated them to make a card for students to give to their mothers. The Friday before Mother’s Day students took home their cards and sunflower plant to give as gifts. Through this project, the students learned the value of expressing gratitude and actively participating in activities that contribute to a caring and engaged community.
The project went very well. Students were very actively engaged in the process of planting their sunflowers, as well as taking care of them. For anyone considering doping this project I recommend not planting your sunflowers seeds too far in advance. Students planted their seeds about 4 weeks before Mother’s Day and the seeds sprouted and grew in about 2 weeks. Some of the plants began to grow pretty tall, and in turn became more fragile, which was an issue with the kindergarten students who frequently touched their plants. I recommend planting a couple extra plants just in case students’ plants break or die from lack of water. I also recommend letting students label their plants with their name so it’s easy to keep track of who’s plant it is. For the ‘All About My Mom” worksheet I found it was best to sit with each student and read each question to them but let them write their answer in their own handwriting. I also helped students with their spelling of words, and brainstorming ideas for answers if they were stuck. One thing I wish I would’ve done was made an example of the completed card for students to have an idea of what the final product would look like.
