This morning the kids were back to school. Summer seemed very short this year, probably because we stayed in Hong Kong with the exception of a week in Thailand. Yesterday, as I was renewing my India visa and pulling a photo out of my desk, a handful of pictures from the summers of 2006 and 2007 fell to the ground. Odd seeing the kids from three and four years ago.

In June at the end of the last term, as part of the kids’ inquiry into plants, they each made little grass head people. They placed soil and grass seeds into a stocking and then it was up to them to care for the plants. They were told it was their responsibility to keep the grass heads watered and placed in a well lit spot.  The budding plants came home lifeless, but as the summer progressed they started sprouting grass shoots. Every few days the kids would add a bit of water to their plants and speak kindly and encouragingly to them. A few weeks ago the plants had a healthy growth of hair on them. This morning they were out of control! (No complaints here, though!) Sebastian’s plant started off as a little green sprout in a paper cup. Eventually it disappeared. I asked Sebastian about his plant and discovered it had been transplanted into a pot on the balcony. As you can see from the photo the plant has grown at a terrific pace. 

I thought the planting exercise was a very clever reminder of school, to which the kids returned today.