This July, the children from Nursery level were glad to be engaged in our monthly gardening activity yet again, as part of NurtureStars Punggol’s innovative collaboration with NParks. They have benefited much from the previous session, where the children learnt how to nurture nature and had hands-on learning about weeding.
At NurtureStars Punggol, we acknowledge that children are curious, they like to learn by doing and love to play in the dirt. Hence we explored the possibility and benefits of introducing the concept of gardening to children from Nursery to Kindergarten two levels. Through working in a garden, we believe that a child can experience the satisfaction that comes from caring for something over time, while observing the cycle of life firsthand.
Gardening gives children a chance to learn an important life skills, those that are often overlooked in standard school curriculums. Gardening is also a great way to teach environmental awareness and character building by exploring the workings of nature.
So our little gardeners put on their SSDB hats and gloves time for mulching and weeding! Friendly staff from NParks taught us that a mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. They also explained the reasons for applying mulch which includes conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth and enhancing the visual appeal of the area.
In short, our curious preschoolers learnt that mulching is dispensing vitamins to the plants and trees. They learnt the right method of mulching and also did weeding, a reinforcement of what they did the last session.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted, “What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have yet to be discovered.”, here in NurtureStars Punggol, our aim is to ensure that the preschoolers are equipped with virtues such as caring for and nurturing nature as well as their environment!
And now we are already anticipating all the fun that awaits the K2s in August as they get serious, yet while having fun pruning the shrubs in Punggol Waterway Park! #SSDB2018
