Pupils attending the nursery class at Northdown Primary School in Margate found themselves embroiled in a mystery last week – who had “stolen” the nursery’s beans?
Having looked at the dried beans the day before, the youngest children at Northdown returned to school the next day to find somebody had hidden the beans in nooks and crannies all over the nursery! Thankfully the beans were all safely (and excitedly) located after a search of sand trays, bookshelves and the outside area.
The attention then turned to planting and nurturing the beans. Gywneviere, aged 3, was full of enthusiasm with her emerging beanstalk: “I can see the roots at the bottom, and it is drinking up all the water!”
Nursery manager Kelly Harris said: “Planting the bean seeds brings learning to life for our nursery children. To be able to physically see the changes that the seed goes through is both exciting and really helps the children to remember how plants and seeds grow, along with giving them the skills to care and nurture the seed as it grows.”
Now it is just left to wait to see how tall the beanstalks grow. After the children made the link with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, Hope, aged 3, is keen that her beanstalk “reaches up to a giant castle in the sky.”
As well as linking to their story time, the activity ties in with their scientific exploration of the world around them. The children are confidently able to talk about the different features of the seed and plant including naming the roots, stem, leaves, and knowing that the seeds need sunlight and water to grow – they are looking forward to hopefully getting some of their own beans to eat from their plants.
Mrs Harris said: “Linking this to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk has given the children a fun way to use their imagination, with a lot of the children hoping that their beanstalk will grow big enough to climb to their own Giant’s Castle!”