theChat.scot

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Talking about looking after plants and animals

At this age we can talk and learn about how plants and animals grow and develop. We can teach children about the concept of the life cycle and that all living things need to be nurtured and cared for. This kind of learning helps children to then think and learn about how we humans look after ourselves and each other.

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Caring for plants.

With houseplants, or if you have access to a window box or a garden, you can look at plants and talk about what they need to grow – air, light, warmth, water and nutrients (a healthy soil). If you have allotments nearby ask a friendly allotment owner of you can visit and find out about their vegetables and flowers. Perhaps your child’s nursery has a garden or veg plot – ask them to find out more so that you can chat at home.

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Pot broad beans in jars/life cycle of a plant.

This is a simple way to talk and learn about the life cycle of plants. With your child rinse a clean jam jar, leaving the jar wet inside. Put a folded piece of kitchen roll and press it up against the glass. Put a broad bean seed between the kitchen roll and glass and leave on the windowsill. Add a spoonful of water every day, keeping the jar moist but not waterlogged. After a few days the bean should sprout. After a couple of weeks, the seedling can be planted into a 10cm pot of compost or open ground. As the plants get bigger, they will need supported with stakes. At about 75ch high snip off the top and wait for your harvest.

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What’s the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?

Ever been asked this question? The simplest answer is that fruits have seeds and they grow from the flower of the plant. Fruits are the way that a plant spreads its seeds for reproduction. Vegetables are the edible part of a plant, like the root or the stem or the leaf.

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Birdbox/Birdfeeder.

On a balcony, the windowsill, or in a garden build and set up a birdbox or install a birdfeeder, feed the birds throughout the year and watch, do drawings together, and try to name which birds come to visit.

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Looking after pets at home.

It’s great to involve younger children in the care of pets at home, talking about what the pet needs, and whether what they as children need is different?

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Songs and animations.

These can help you to prompt a chat about what plants and pets need. (When viewing something on YouTube you can skip adverts and set it up to play).

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Books

You might like to read these books together. Your library or nursery might have them, or you can ask a library if they will order a book for you.

A much-loved classic with its vivid and colourful collage illustrations and its simple, hopeful story.

The more desperate for a pet a young narrator becomes, the more outlandish her suggestions. By the end of the story the tenacious hero has found a pet that couldn’t possibly bother anyone.

A reference book that introduces children to a wide variety of family-friendly pets.  With over 200 colour photographs and lots of information.

When a new family move into Mac the cat’s Edinburgh town house, he decides to let them stay. He has always wanted a special friend, and the little girl Catriona seems very nice. A gentle lesson about treating a pet with respect and not as a toy or plaything.

Zac and his dog, Rufus, are inseparable. So, when Zac experiences his first day at school, Rufus does too.

What did I look like when I was a baby? Michael and all other animals ask their mums. This book explores family traits and genes in a funny and accessible style.