Pre-Primary: Leaf Polishing…
At the one person work station, a variety of classroom plants can be found each day. The plants have many smooth leaves. The children take turns using an eyedropper to put a few drops of water on a cotton pad and gently wipe each side of each individual leaf. The children examine the leaves and search for ones that have not been cleaned. When all the leaves have been cleaned, they let Luda know and she hunts for a plant in the classroom, or even in the school that needs some care. Many children spend an extended period of time cleaning the plant, trying to get to as many leaves as they can while being thorough and using a delicate touch.
When introducing the work, Luda talked about how getting the dust off of the leaves allows the plants to absorb more sunlight and oxygen. The children have taken this to heart, feeling that the cleaning they are doing is a service and have talked about how they are “saving” or “helping” each Pine Grove plant.
“Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.” Jonathan Haidt
