Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Tips On Teaching Gardening To Special Needs Children In The Right Way

By Alta Alexander


Gardening is considered a vital teaching methodology when handling children with special needs. Teaching gardening to special needs children in San Francisco, CA enhances their mental ability and supports physical development. It is a way of boosting their self esteem through practical results, inculcating independence and helping the children to develop social skills. It has a natural developmental effect that lasts through their lifetime.

Preparation is crucial in getting the desired results from any endeavor. Researchers insist that the person responsible must find a perfect balance between different activities to achieve good results. There should be a range of activities with both long and short term results. This means a combination of weeding and planting. This balance is important in instilling the sense of achievement instantly and over time.

The activities should be planned before entering into the garden. Considering their learning ability, it is advisable to begin by demonstrating. Model behaviors are easier to copy. Constantly remind the children about the work at hand and what it is supposed to achieve. Throughout the session, you are required to reinforce the procedure by more demonstrations.

Learning is easier when you develop a routine that can be repeatedly copied. Ensure that all your target students are comfortable with the routine. Comfort will ignite confidence in their ability. The activity will appear easy and doable. As such they will be motivated to continuously engage.

Gardening should be made a routine and enjoyable to capture the imagination of the children. Making it fun ensures that they look forward to it. This desire to engage in the routine is a motivation for the children to keep working. Provide drinks and snacks for the kids to replenish their energy and to motivate their psych to keep working.

Children require specialized and appropriate tools to complete their tasks. Children friendly tools for the garden are both enjoyable and comfortable to use. They should be ideal for small hands. Improvisation of old spoons and the use of plastic tool sets are possibilities. The tools should be easy and safe to handle and use for any child in the team.

Gardening is not a fun activity by all means. It therefore must be accomplished in the right way. The right seed numbers must be put in each hole. Larger seeds are appropriate for the small hands. Even distribution is also important in ensuring that the work is done right. Small seeds may be mixed with soil or sand to ease even distribution.

The children should make a decision on what to grow to the largest extent possible. This can be executed by providing an option for them. They need to identify with the project from the beginning. Ensure that the options provided grow quickly so that they can see the results of their work.

Consider how the children will move along the patch. The terrain and surfacing should be favorable to their conditions. All planning activities must take into account the safety of each child. Take measures to protect them from damaging elements like the rain and hot sun. Have emergency rescue plans in place at all times. Proper planning will deliver excellent results.




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