Gardening is a great spring activity for kids. Whether you have a yard or not, there are many ways to bring nature and the magic of plants into your home. This hands-on planting activity is a great opportunity to get your child interested in learning about the plant life cycle and expose them to French spring vocabulary.
Related: Learn French with Peppa Pig: spring vocabulary
What you will need
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| Seeds | des graines des semences |
| Biodegradable pots | des pots biodégradables |
| Potting soil | du terreau |
| Spoon | une cuillère |
| Spray bottle filled with water | un vaporisateur rempli d’eau |
| Rag | un torchon |
My daughter has really been enjoying tasting mint tea lately, so we chose peppermint seeds so that we can make fresh mint tea together later in the season. I was really surprised at how tiny the seeds were once we opened the packet. You may want to opt for a plant with a larger seed that is easier for a child to manipulate.
Peppermint – menthe poivrée
Setup
I placed all the material on a tray and pointed to each item and discussed what they were and what we’d be doing. Surya was immediately drawn to the seed packet (as you can see in the photo below) and, of course, the potting soil!
Today, we’ll be making planting mint seeds.
Aujourd’hui, nous allons planter des graines de menthe.
She started shaking the seed packet and listening to the sound it made and got very excited about being able to work with soil, so we were off to a great start.
Instructions
The pots are empty. We will fill them with potting soil.
Les pots sont vides. Nous allons les remplir de terreau.
You can also refer to the soil as “la terre”.
Can you fill the pots with soil?
Peux-tu mettre de la terre dans les pots?
Once the pots are filled, open your seeds packet and put the seeds in a container. We observed how tiny they were.
The seeds are so small.
Les graines sont si petites.
Demonstrate how to place a few seeds on your fingers and place them in each pot. Then invite them to do so.
Place the seeds in the pot.
Mets les graines dans le pot.
Next, cover the seeds with a small amount of soil. Depending on the age of your child, you can ask them to do it or you can ask them to help you.
Now, we will cover the seeds with potting soil.
Maintenant, nous allons recouvrir les graines de terreau.
Next, show them how to use the spray bottle to gently mist the earth with water.
It’s your turn!
À ton tour!
Then, place the pots in a sunny spot such as a windowsill.
You can explain to your child that it takes time for the seeds to sprout and grow, but there are also some great cartoons and books that you can use to accompany this activity.
Do you have a favourite spring activity for kids? We love hearing about all the creative ways to teach your child spring vocabulary.
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