When the weather gets warmer, kids cannot wait to get outside and explore! One way to foster this excitement and incorporate it into continued learning is by using the Botany Cabinet to teach young children to recognize and differentiate between various leaves.
This activity kit encourages students to make classroom-to-world connections through matching the shapes provided in the cabinet with the shapes of leaves they locate outside. Learning doesn’t end in the classroom – nature is an excellent tool for discovery! While this activity kit is designed for the Montessori classroom, it can easily be incorporated into any classroom as children are given the opportunity not only to seek out information outdoors, but to cultivate a sense of independence and curiosity.
Spending time in nature provides young children (and adults!) with a grounded feeling and an appreciation for their surroundings. The botany cabinet nurtures and encourages the child to explore their surroundings to locate and identify different leaves. This tactile kit fortifies the child’s ability to recognize the leaf shapes through tracing. The puzzle pieces are made of natural material (wood), introducing the value of environmental consciousness within the child – an additional benefit to incorporating this tool into a child’s shape recognition. Children are witnessing many environmental changes – providing children opportunities to take their learning outdoors, seeking out information through exploring, and using learning resources that are kind to the environment helps to instill the value of environmental stewardship within children of all ages.
Combine this manipulative with the botany cards and leaf cards for even more plant-based learning!