Our daycare moments are filled with exploration and countless discoveries. This morning one of my preschoolers asked if pine cones had seeds. This little question resulted in a science lesson on pine cones. Another reason, I love project approach to learning. Our nature-loving environment is filled with many pine cones so, I quickly gave one to her. I asked her to look at the pine cone as if it was her first time seeing it. She gently turned it over, around, up and down.
Miss Sue: “Do you think it has seeds like the kiwis, apples, cucumbers or cantaloupes?”
Child: “No, I no eat it!”
Miss Sue: “Do you think, we have to eat it for seeds to be in it?”
Child: “Yes, but I no eat pine cone.”
Miss Sue: “Ok, let’s see if we can find some seeds in this pine cone although, you don’t eat it.”
I asked her to roll, tap, rub and twist the pine cone to see if any seeds would come out. It sure is easier for a preschooler to find seeds in already cut fruits like kiwi, apples, and pears than pine cones.
As she tapped and rolled the pine cone, things began to fall from the lonesome pine cone. Unable to contain her excitement and discovery she blurted out, “Miss Sue, look at the seeds!” Yes, she found many seeds and spent a lot of time examining them with her magnifying glass. 
By the end of the day, she had bagged the seeds, anxiously awaited her parent’s arrival. On their arrival, she stuttered her excitement and related her day. And there goes another day of ….play and discovery at Lil Bebe Academy. Here’s hoping you will have many fun days collecting pine cones and using them for many creative projects – Miss Sue:)
Leave a Reply