Grace and Courtesy: Caring for Plants and Animals

Our school community fosters an environment of love and respect for all things that breathe life. We believe that introducing plants and animals into the home and school environment lays the best foundation for a lifetime of comfort and interest in nature.

One of the most important aspects of grace and courtesy is discussing the proper way to treat plants and animals. Maria Montessori was adamant that a direct link between child and nature be maintained from birth.

Caring for Plants

A young child can do a lot when it comes to plants. Toddlers enjoy discovering flowers, fruits, and vegetables through sight and smell; gathering leaves, watering flowers, watching the shadows of tree leaves and the sound of their rustling in the wind; and observing a lady bug crawling over a leaf in its natural habitat. This is also a period when a child absorbs, without effort, every experience and every name.

“Lessons that stick with you come from firsthand experience with plants; nothing beats seeing, smelling, and watching the daily growth of a flower or vegetable in the garden.”  These lessons also assist a child in “exploding” into language. We begin by pointing out, inviting touch, and using descriptive words such as red, small, and soft.

Discussing how plants help us (by providing oxygen, shade, food, beauty, and shelter for animals, among other things) demonstrates the nature of their royalty and prepares a child’s heart to respect and care for them.

Caring for Animals

Just as a child is learning to be kind to one another and to respect plants, now is the time to teach them to be kind to animals as well. Children, by nature, have a wonderful attitude toward animals.

Having animals in the classroom (as well as in the home) provides a child with daily and accurate demonstrations of how to care for them. Children enjoy learning the intricacies of feeding, affection, and cleaning up after animals.

It’s amazing to see how a child can focus and become still when he or she becomes interested in watching a bird or a spider. Montessori felt animals are best observed in their natural habitat.

If we hang a bird feeder outside on the playground or near a window, we can teach the child how to sit quietly without disturbing the bird. Afterwards, observe the bird in its natural habitat rather than in a cage.

The goal of all plant and animal care extends far beyond the act of doing. It is related to the child’s lifetime ability to know, understand, and care for our planet.

 

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