​Children are naturally curious about what is happening in the world around them, so we thought that it would be a wonderful idea to bring in an Amaryllis. We did not tell the children what it was, but asked them to each share their theories about what they thought it was and what it would turn into.

“It’s like an onion. It’s dark and almost like part of a tree.” – A.S.
“A bird’s nest” – E.H.
“It’s brown and looks like a pot.”
“I think it is a plant.” – A.G.
“Maybe an onion.” – S.S
“It’s a pot with string.” – A.S.
“I can see roots.” – S.H.
“The roots look like grass.” – A.G.

None of the children were able to recognize it as a flower bulb. After returning from our winter holiday, the children were so surprised at what they saw.

“Wow, it looks like it is going to grow to the ceiling!!”

​We are using the amaryllis to strengthen the children’s connections to nature, but also as a way to inspire them to write and measure.  We predicted what colour it will be when it blooms (pink), and how many days it will take until it flowers. Our ideas ranged from 9 days to 84!

“Imagine the early years as a place for the creation of a community of inquiry where adults and children actively ‘research’ the world, co-constructing knowledge and understandings together” (John Dewey; Association of Canadian Deans of Education 1)

We have had a great first week back and the children have settled back in nicely. We were very happy to see all the children!