Two toddlers explore opposite corners of the small, square
playground. A majestic oak tree graces the center. One toddler is busy in the sandbox, his back to the tree. The other
Dancing with Trees
is on a small climber, getting ready to go down the slide.
A teacher is positioned to monitor both children. Slowly,
Infants
and Toddlers
in the Garden
Julia Torquati and Jana Barber
Julia Torquati, PhD, is an associate professor in
family and consumer sciences at the University of
Nebraska–Lincoln. Julia teaches classes in child development and early childhood education and does
research in child care quality and children’s relationships with teachers, parents, and peers.
Jana L. Barber, BS, is a child specialist with infants
and toddlers at Cedars Northwood Early Childhood
Development Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Jana has
worked with young children for 13 years in elementary school, home child care, and early childhood
center settings.
Photos © Julia Torquati.
quietly, a breeze rises. Softly the dry autumn leaves of the
oak begin to rustle. The music of the tree builds, and as the
tree moves, the toddlers become still and listen. The breeze
gently fades and the children return to their activities.
A few moments later, the wind again plays soft music in
the tree, and the music builds as with joyous percussion the
tree dances in the sun. The toddlers become still, turning
their heads upward and facing their dance partner, which
casts dappled shadows on them. The music of wind and tree
T
beckons, and the children approach and watch. The dance
continues, with tree and children taking turns, celebrating
the sunny fall day.
his seemingly ordinary experience is rich with learning
opportunities. The dancing tree engages all of the children’s
senses as they hear, smell, and see the leaves moving, feel
the wind, and experience the kinesthetic sensations of their
bodies moving. The children’s powers of observation are nurtured,
and this skill supports scientific inquiry and aesthetic development.
The natural world offers unparalleled opportunities to stimulate all
domains of children’s development.
Nature and early childhood education theory
We often think about science and art or aesthetics as separate domains of children’s development, supported by different experiences.
However, these domains are unified by observational skills, exploration, and attention to sensory information, as well as the full range of
emotions. These skills support development of cognitive capacity for
scientific inquiry and aesthetic development—
children’s ability to appreciate beauty, express creativity, and perceive patterns and variety in sensory dimensions of their worlds and
themselves.
In educational practice at all levels there is a tendency to divide
science and art. In early childhood classrooms this dichotomy is
represented by separate science centers and art areas, which tend
to offer unrelated experiences. Italian educator Maria Montessori
(1870–1952) and Austrian Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), developer of
Waldorf Education, recognized the complementary nature of science
and aesthetic experiences and sought to reflect it in their programs
(Hutchison 1998; Petrash 2002). The approach to early childhood
education practiced in schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, is a contemporary example of this philosophy in practice (Edwards, Gandini, &
Forman 1998). And Howard Gardner (1999) describes the characteristics, process skills, and learning strategies of a naturalist intelligence.
40
Young Children • May 2005
ENVIRONMENTS
Recognition of the holistic nature of children’s development is reflected in the integration of content and skills
across the curriculum, a hallmark of quality in both developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education (Bredekamp & Copple 1997) and in environmental
education (NAAEE 1999).
At the Northwood Early Head Start Program in Lincoln,
Nebraska, we provide indoor and outdoor experiences
with nature in many of the children’s everyday activities,
such as dramatic play, literature, and art. This article
describes how teachers at the program designed and
implemented experiences with infants and toddlers that
promote connections with the natural world. It summarizes three specific aspects of children’s experiences:
garden in the playground area and purchased resources—
books that celebrate nature, magnifying bug boxes, insect
and animal puppets, teacher resource books, and such.
A garden for infants and toddlers
Planning for the garden for infants and toddlers was
guided by an understanding of the importance of direct
experience for young children, emphasizing children’s
learning through experiences rather than through direct
teaching (Carson 1956; Wilson 1993). Direct experience
is one of the core concepts of environmental education
(NAAEE 1999). Emphasis on direct experience and multimodal, sensory learning is
1. promoting children’s
consistent with principles of
observational skills and
developmentally appropriaesthetic awareness
ate
practice (Bredekamp &
through interactions
Copple
1997).
with nature;
Today children in the United
2. fostering respect for
States know less about nature
diverse life forms; and
than previous generations
3. documenting how
because natural play areas are
linked experiences
disappearing. Children spend
over time enhance very
less time outdoors and more
young children’s repretime indoors doing activities
sentational abilities.
organized by adults and using
electronic media (Nabhan &
St. Antoine 1993; Rivkin 1995).
For millennia, interactions
Program overview
with elements of the natural
The Northwood Early
world such as soil, seeds,
Head Start Program
plants, insects, and worms
Northwood Children’s Garden Layout
serves children from
were daily experiences for
infancy to age three and
children. Disconnection from
their families, and it includes center- and home-based care
the natural world is resulting in “extinction of experience”
and education. The environmental and nature-oriented
(Pyle 2002)—children having fewer experiences with the
programming described here takes place in the center,
natural world become parents who are unable to share
which provides full-day child care in a Lincoln Housing
such knowledge with their children so that each generaAuthority apartment complex.
tion has less environmental knowledge. ­To counteract this
Like many programs in urban settings, immediate outtrend, Northwood’s infants and toddlers have daily experidoor space at this Early Head Start program is somewhat
ences with the natural world.
limited. However, teachers take advantage of neighborOne of our goals in designing the garden was to maxihood settings and have adapted playground space to offer
mize children’s access to plants, insects, and soil while
enriched nature experiences. With the support of an encommunicating concepts of space and boundary. Flat
vironmental education grant from the U.S. Environmental
stones create two pathway entrances to the area and meet
Protection Agency, awarded in partnership with the Uniat a circle in the center. The two entry paths are conversity of Nebraska—Lincoln, the program constructed a
nected to each other by a semicircle outside the center
circle (see “Northwood Children’s Garden Layout”). The
stone paths help guide children’s movement through the
Toddlers quickly adapt to the expectagarden, and the multiple entries and circular design minimize traffic congestion and allow access to the garden’s
tion that feet will stay on the stones,
elements. Toddlers quickly adapt to the expectation that
feet will stay on the stones, and they help their younger
and they help their younger friends and
friends and newcomers to remember it too. Straw mulch
newcomers to remember it too.
nourishes the plants, keeps the soil moist, and minimizes
weeds. It also helps keep children’s feet clean.
Young Children • May 2005
41
There have been some casualties in the area. Toddlers
do not perceive plants as boundaries. They are not able to
monitor their environment peripherally as well as adults
do, so they sometimes back up over plants (or friends).
We anticipated that plants would be walked over and sat
upon, and we use those occasions as teachable moments.
We examine broken plants with children and introduce the
concept of a plant as a living thing that is fragile. We discuss how plants need to be cared for. Within a few months
most of the toddlers understand these concepts, which
are also reinforced as the rationale for why toy lawnmowers and big toy trucks should stay out of the garden. Having children replant in the wake of casualties is key in their
relationship to the garden.
Sowing and reaping
When we created the garden, children were involved in
planting a variety of flowers,
grasses, herbs, and vegetables. We included full-grown
plants with which children
could interact immediately
while waiting for their seeds
to sprout. We found it helpful
to prepare ahead of time the
area to be planted, with holes
dug or rows ready, so when
children came to the garden to
plant they could place
bulbs and seeds in the
ground and then help
cover them with soil.
Toddlers revel in
nature
The garden fascinates toddlers, and
they communicate
their interest by spending a lot of time in the
area. It is living, growing, and changing, and
toddlers often begin
their time outdoors
making the rounds
of the garden to see
what’s going on.
Toddlers can become absorbed in gardening activities
that seem mundane to adults. One morning 12 children
spent most of an hour digging up bare spots in the grass
with their trowels and breaking up clumps of soil. A teacher sprinkled grass seed on the bare spots and the children
gently stepped on the seeds to push them into the soil.
Soon most children had their shoes off and were enjoying
the sensory experience of patting seeds into the soil with
their bare feet.
42
As we begin to cover bulbs with soil, the toddlers ask, “What
doing?” To connect this garden activity with their own lives,
we explain that we are covering the bulbs with a blanket of
soil, just like they cover up with blankets at naptime. We tell
them that the soil keeps the bulbs warm and safe all winter
until they bloom as flowers in the spring. As we move to the
next hole, the toddlers ask again, “What doing?” When one
teacher replies that she is covering the bulbs with soil, a
child adds, “A blanket.” Bulb planting for this group of twoyear-olds is a story about their own lives, and they want it told and
retold the same way each time.
Five months later a teacher overhears two children by the window talking about a “blanket of soil.” Through this experience we
learn how powerful connecting new experiences to children’s lives
can be in the formation of representations.
The children planted three vegetables the first spring:
broccoli, peas, and cherry tomatoes. The first harvest
Young Children • May 2005
ENVIRONMENTS
was broccoli, and children enjoyed eating it raw at snack
time. They seemed a little puzzled at first when teachers
showed them how to pick pea pods, but after shelling
them and eating the peas for snack, they wanted to harvest peas again. Teachers took this opportunity to help
children compare ripe and
unripe pea pods, using sensory descriptions. Children
learned that ripe pods are
hard and full, and unripe
pods are flat and soft. After
learning this, they would ask
a teacher if a particular pod
was ripe before they picked
it. Teachers encouraged
children to feel the pea pods
and decide for themselves,
Plant Suggestions for
Gardening with Children
Note: Be sure to obtain a list of toxic plants from a
local poison control agency or a university cooperative
extension. Some common plants—morning glories, for
example—are highly toxic.
Plants that attract butterflies: phlox,
chocolate mint, dill, parsley, hollyhocks,
milkweed, butterfly bushes, salvia, asters,
trumpet vine
Plants that provide color, texture, scent,
taste: lamb’s ears, sage, chives, mint,
dianthus, sweet peas, zinnias, marigolds,
basil
Fruits and vegetables that are easily
cultivated: cherry tomatoes, yellow pear tomatoes, peas, string beans (purple, yellow, or green
pod), melons, carrots, potatoes, beets, popcorn,
sweet corn, broccoli
A good strategy to ensure that toddlers get plenty of
opportunities to harvest is to overplant. Our first year
we planted three cherry tomato plants, and now we plant
six. We do not use fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides in
the garden, nor do we need them. Nevertheless, teachers frequently remind children to bring their vegetables
indoors to be washed before they eat them, and children
usually do.
and they soon became skilled in identifying ripe pods.
Children revisited this concept as cherry tomatoes began to ripen, especially because little green balls on plants
are irresistible. For a while it seemed there would never be
red tomatoes to make the comparison between ripe and
unripe, but once one ripened, children were much less
likely to pick green ones. They understood that tomatoes
change from green to pink to red, and red ones are ripe
and can be picked, washed, and eaten.
Teachers encouraged children to feel
the pea pods and decide for themselves, and they soon became skilled
in identifying ripe pods.
Young Children • May 2005
Respecting living things
Toddlers have many opportunities in the garden to
learn about and practice respect for living things. Bird and
squirrel feeders welcome neighborhood creatures to the
garden for children to watch from both outside and in.
Any time a teacher brings a shovel into the garden, they
gather around with their hands ready for a worm. Some
children are also ready to help with the digging. They put
their foot on top of the teacher’s foot as she pushes the
shovel into the soil. This works only if the toddler stands
on the same side of the shovel as the teacher, of course.
Most children eagerly hold worms, but some are content to watch at first. Eventually all children hold worms,
and they observe many important worm features. One
child worried that a worm would bite him, and another
repeatedly reassured him, “No teeth.” Toddlers observe
that worms have no feet, they don’t wear clothes, and
they don’t have eyes. However, they do have blood, and it
is red just like our blood.
Teachers encourage children to be gentle with worms,
and when the digging is done, the children return the
43
antennae can pretend they are butterflies.
Dramatic play experiences help to
More Garden Advice . . .
elaborate and refine concepts learned
through direct experience.
Climbing plants grow in limited space and create a sensory “refuge.”
A variety of strategies help support
Melons take little space; pumpkins, however, will take over the yard.
children who are not comfortable with
Fast-growing and hardy plants work well to define boundaries.
insects. For example, we introduce
plastic insects in the manipulative
area and books with photographs and
drawings of insects in the book area.
worms to the soil, their home. Children’s understanding of
The children who are uneasy around insects are comfortthis was evident in their conversations when some identiable examining them in bug boxes and may even carry
fied the soil as the worm’s home and then expressed conaround bug boxes holding grasshoppers or ladybugs they
cern that the worms go back into the soil so they could be
have found. Children always release the insects before gowith their families.
ing indoors. Teachers model interest, enthusiasm, gentleness, and respect for insects.
Becoming comfortable with insects
Of course, some insects do bear watching. When a few
children were stung by bees, we eliminated sunflowers
Children and teachers are not always as comfortable
that seemed especially to attract them. Bees are in the
with insects as they are with worms. It is helpful for teachgarden every day and teachers explain that bees and buters to work as a team when some are more comfortable
terflies drink nectar from flowers. Children express their
with insects than others. A beautiful wolf spider with a
understanding when they repeat teachers’ words upon
golden beard visited the classroom in a gallon jar for a few
returning to the
weeks. One teacher took responsibility for catching crickgarden. Children
ets and other insects for it to eat. The jar was on a shelf
are fascinated
that children couldn’t reach, but they frequently asked the
watching bees
teacher to bring it down so they could see the spider up
and butterflies in
close. It was a good time to read Eric Carle’s A Very Busy
the flowers, and
Spider.
some children
Literature and dramatic play can be effective tools for
can be still for
supporting empathy and emotion and for exploring similariquite a while
ties and differences. When black swallowtail caterpillars
observing these
were introduced, we read A Very Hungry Caterpillar. Chilinsects at work.
dren can relate easily to caterpillars eating leaves, and the
fact that caterpillars poop (a lot) is especially interesting
to toddlers who are in the midst of toilet learning. Butterfly
and bee finger puppets with silk or tissue
paper flowers give children the opportunity to reenact their observations of insects
drinking nectar from flowers in the garden,
and children wearing butterfly wings and
y
y
y
The children who are uneasy
around insects are comfortable examining them in bug
boxes and may even carry
around bug boxes holding
grasshoppers or ladybugs
they have found.
44
Young Children • May 2005
ENVIRONMENTS
Infants and nature
Teachers frequently provide experiences with nature for infants as well.
For example, when a teacher took four
infants ranging from 8 to 11 months
for a buggy ride, she observed them
pointing to the trees and babbling. She
concluded that they noticed changes
in the trees, because the dry leaves
were rustling, because the leaves were
changing color, or maybe because both
changes captured their attention. The
teacher supported the babies’ interest
by asking open-ended questions like
“What do the leaves sound like?” and
commenting on what they saw: “The
leaves are changing colors.” The babies babbled in response.
The teacher validated the babies’ interest, inviting them into conversation
about it, and used words to represent
the babies’ observations. Open-ended
questions and simple statements
scaffold children’s observations to
help them look more deeply and listen
more closely. This teacher extended
the babies’ experience by gathering
leaves and other “treasures” with them
and helping them make collages on
clear self-adhesive paper. The collages
hung in the windows for children to
enjoy, and they stimulated conversations about their experiences together
outside.
Infants in their teacher’s arms or on
a blanket enjoy the sights, smells, and
sounds outdoors. Lying on a blanket
on their backs is a good position for
babies to watch leaves blowing. Teachers also walk through the garden carrying individual babies to give them
opportunities to see and feel a variety
of plants.
Jana takes six-month-old Katie into the
garden to feel lamb’s ears—plants with
soft, furry leaves. As they walk, bright red
dianthus flowers capture Katie’s attention.
She turns her head to look at the flowers
as they pass by and continues looking at
them as Jana tries to interest her in the
lamb’s ears. Following Katie’s interest,
Jana carries her close to the red flowers,
quietly commenting and posing openended questions about them.
Young Children • May 2005
Books That Celebrate Nature
and Provide Information
Peterson First Guides (Houghton Mifflin), illustrated guide books appropriate for adults, experts, and children,
are available on mammals, insects,
caterpillars, butterflies and moths,
birds, reptiles and amphibians, and
other topics. Some are regionally
specific.
Morning, Noon, and Night, by Jean
Craighead George, illustrated by
Wendell Minor (HarperCollins, 1999),
presents a wide array of animals going about their daily activities.
Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois
Ehlert (Voyager Books, Harcourt,
1987), details growing a vegetable
garden to make “the best soup ever”
(recipe included).
Red Fox Running, by Eve Bunting,
illustrated by Wendell Minor (reissued edition, Clarion Books, 1996),
describes a fox’s travels through the
wintery world as she hunts and feeds
her young.
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky, by Susan
Jeffers (Dial Books, 1991), captures
the central belief of Native Americans that the earth and everything
on it is sacred.
Earth Circles, by Sandra Ure Griffin
(Walker, 1989), is about the first day
of spring, when a mother and daughter climb a hill and celebrate the
cycles of nature from seed to flower
and from rising to setting sun.
Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in
Spanish and English, by Alma Flor
Ada (trans. Rosa Zubizaretta), illustrated by Simón Silva (HarperCollins,
1994), takes children into the fields
and orchards and into the lives of the
people who work them.
Creation, by Gerald McDermott (Dutton Children’s Books, 2003), is a
meditation on the creation story from
Genesis.
Water, by Frank Asch
(Gulliver Green Book,
Harcourt Brace, 1995),
shows how water is part
of the earth and necessary for life. Many forms
of water­—including
dew, rain, clouds, ice,
and tears—are beautifully illustrated.
Bat Time, by Ruth Horowitz, illustrated by Bernard Avishai (Four
Winds, 1991), is about a young girl
and her father sharing a special time
together as they watch bats come
out each evening.
Sky Tree, by Thomas Locker (Harper
Collins, 1995), records the seasonal
changes in a tree. Questions by
Candace Christiansen at the bottom
of the page lead to a discussion at
the back.
The Desert Is Theirs, by Byrd Baylor,
illustrated by Peter Parnall (Aladdin Books, 1975), integrates myth, folklore,
and factual descriptions
of the desert and the
people and animals
who love it.
45
Nature pervades the curriculum
Teachers offer experiences with nature indoors and out,
and in all areas of the curriculum. They provide natural
materials like leaves and pinecones in science and art
activities. Infants watch birds visiting feeders and plants
hanging outside the window of their room. Plastic garden
tools, gloves, watering cans, and flowers in the dramatic
play area support children in reenacting their experiences
planting and caring for the
garden.
Infants in their
Bulbs and seeds planted
in glass pots or jars allow
teacher’s arms or
children to observe the
on a blanket enjoy growth of leaves, flowers,
and fine roots. (We find that
the sights, smells,
roots grow closer to the
glass if the glass container
and sounds outis wrapped in dark paper or
doors.
cloth. Just take the covering off to look at the roots.)
Children are fascinated by
watering plants in glass containers as they watch different
levels of soil become wet.
Taking apart fruits and vegetables to examine seeds
and flesh is a small group activity that supports toddlers
in understanding what is inside plant parts. It also demonstrates a stage in the plant life cycle from seed to seed.
Plants provide numerous opportunities for comparison
and categorization
of natural materials, including
comparing raw and
cooked vegetables,
sorting leaves by
color, and comparing seed shapes
and sizes.
Conclusion
The natural
world presents
endless sensory
experiences that support the observation skills underlying
scientific thinking and aesthetic awareness. Toddlers compare ripe and unripe vegetables, sand and soil, insects of
various shapes and sizes, and colors of leaves and flowers.
Children participate in processes that unfold over time,
such as planting, caring for, and harvesting vegetables.
Toddlers readily sample fresh, nutritious foods from their
own garden and demonstrate care and concern for plants,
worms, and insects. Infants delight in the sights and
sounds of nature, which offer constant variety and interest
but are not over-stimulating. These very early experiences
captivate their interest and support their curiosity and
comfort with nature.
46
Plants provide numerous opportunities
for comparison and categorization of
natural materials.
Linking and revisiting experiences supports the representational ability of very young children, which is evidenced in their discussions and dramatic play. Parents are
supportive of the gardening experiences, even when their
children come home a little dirty.
Simple experiences with nature can be very powerful
opportunities for teaching and learning with very young
children. Observing and talking about the many sensory
aspects of nature—the sounds and smells of wind and
rain, changing colors of the seasons, the tastes of fruits,
vegetables, and herbs—inspire interest and appreciation
of the beauty of nature. Observing and talking about the
animals, plants, and insects that live in our neighborhoods
provokes curiosity and respect for living things. These are
the kinds of experiences that “prepare the soil” (as Rachel
Carson put it) for children to desire knowledge of the natural world and ultimately of themselves in it.
References
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Rev. ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
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Edwards, C., L. Gandini, & G. Forman. 1998. The
hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia approach—Advanced reflections. 2nd ed. Greenwich, CT:
Ablex.
Gardner, H. 1999. Are there additional intelligences?
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Hall.
Hutchison, D. 1998. Growing up green: Education for
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inside out. Beltsville, MD: Gryphon House.
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Copyright © 2005 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See
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Young Children • May 2005