Center Spotlight: Ms. Sarah’s Serendipity Garden
April’s Center Spotlight shines on Becky Gates Children’s Center’s gardening activities! April is National Gardening month. Ms. Kay has been leading her Tigers in growing plants to beautify Ms. Sarah’s Serendipity Garden.
Gardening is an amazing activity that teaches children about growing and changing. The wonder of seeing a garden grow may spark your children to ask questions like: Why do the plants need sun? How does the plant “drink” water? Why are worms good for the plants?
Time in the garden allows for team building and promotes communication skills. Planning a garden, planting the seeds and watching them grow give children a sense of purpose and responsibility. Making sure that the plants get enough fertilizer, water and sun fosters mindfulness. The concepts learned while gardening, like composting food scraps for fertilizer or using gathered rainwater, can show children a deep respect and responsibility for taking care of our planet. (PBS)
Ms. Sarah’s Serendipity Garden is a memorial garden for Sarah Leanne Sappington ’15, who started off as a Teaching Assistant of Ms. Kay’s before graduated to a Lead Teacher position with a classroom of her own. Anyone who had the pleasure of working with Ms. Sarah knows that she adored working with children.
Ms. Kay said, “Sarah started out as my Teaching Assistant at Becky Gates Children’s Center in 2011, while attending Texas A&M. We had so much fun together, creating activities for the kids and looking for ideas to decorate the classroom.” Now Ms. Kay continues with that spirit of nurturing and growth by caring for Ms. Sarah’s Serendipity Garden with her class.
“Children are like flowers. Let them bloom by giving them your warm smiles, your soft gentle words falling on them like rain and your art of confidence. You will be amazed at your own garden.”
― Abaida Mahmood
