Young children are naturally drawn to practical activities for so many reasons, and taking time to encourage these practical tasks is immensely important. Practical life activities include so many different areas, including care of the environment. There are few things that instill a sense of pride in a child like taking care of their environment. Plant care in a Montessori home is just one way to allow small children to have an active role in taking care of your home.
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I sincerely have the brownest of thumbs, but over the past several months, we have been adding more plants to our home. Not only we're we interested in bringing some natural elements to our spaces, but Henry's Montessori guide pointed out that he loved to take care of the plants in his classroom. Henry has some {non-academic} special needs so making those connections between home and his classroom has proved to be important.
Thankfully, plant care doesn't have to be a big deal or take up a lot of space. It's really one of those beautiful, organic ways that a child can participate in your home. And, I love it because there are very obvious natural consequences if the work isn't completed. It gives children the opportunity to notice small changes, to remember how to fix the problem, and the satisfaction of caring for the plant and their environment once the task is completed.
Our plant care set up is really quite simple. We have a small plant mister from Target {similar} and a small basket {similar} with some cotton rounds. Then, we have plants throughout the house. When a plant needs to be watered or polished, Nora or Henry can simply get the mister and water it. They are also free to spray a pad to wipe down leaves too.
I went with a mister over a watering can because it took up less space and was slightly less messy. The mister can still leave water around so we also have cleaning towels accessible to our children to wipe up spills. But, if it gets knocked over there's not a ton of water everywhere. Plus, I just think it's more beautiful and definitely calls to the child.
When looking for plants, I try to find things in a variety of textures, shapes and colors. We have also killed a few {seriously brown thumb!} and so I also look for things on the cheaper side! IKEA actually has great plant options that I have found to be quite hearty.
Do you have plants for your children in your home? What have you included in your plant-care area?
