You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.
Beyond the Lima Bean: Teaching Children About God Through Gardening
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Hey Reader! Week 3 of our summer series on books! For many families groceries show up at the front door or are picked up curb-side from the store. Not only do children rarely see the process of planting, growing, and harvesting food – they rarely even see any other food options than what is in their own pantry! A fun conversation with author Sarah Philpott shed some light on why gardening and farming experiences matter so much in early childhood classrooms. (just click on the graphic below to listen to the whole conversation!) When children dig in the dirt, plant seeds, and watch things grow, they learn more than science. They begin to see God’s design in creation. Young children are often amazed when a tiny seed turns into a plant. It can seem someone magical - unexplainable! But this is a beautiful opportunity to remind children: “This isn’t magic. This is the way God created the earth to work.” (from Wake Up Little Seed!) Science teaches us how plants grow. Faith helps us understand Who created the process. When we teach children about seeds, sunlight, water, and soil, we can also teach them that God made the world with purpose and care. Start with the Fruit An easy way to introduce children to seeds is to start with the finished product first – the fruit! Cut open a watermelon, cantaloupe or apple together. (or maybe a pumpkin this fall?) Let children smell it, taste it, and look closely at the seeds inside. Get out a magnifying glass and really STUDY the seeds. Then ask: This is a beautiful connection to understanding the amazing potential God placed inside every seed (and in them)! You can even plant some seeds together and track the changes over time with drawings or pictures. Children practice observation and patience as they wait and watch things grow. Let Children Get Dirty Children need lots of hands-on experiences with God’s creation. Digging in soil, watering plants, and searching for worms all support learning and development by building fine motor skills, encouraging curiosity, and using their senses. In Genesis, God placed Adam in a garden to care for the earth. From the very beginning, people were created to interact with creation. When children explore nature, they begin to see how everything God made works together. Simple Ways to Make the Connection You don’t need a much to teach these lessons. Try:
These small moments help children connect everyday life back to God’s provision. Remember… A seed lesson can become a whole lot more than a science activity. It can become a reminder that God is intentional, creative, and faithful. Cheering you on this week! -Your ECCN team P.S. If you don't want to receive these weekly emails anymore, no hard feelings. Click HERE to be removed from this list. (You'll still receive other emails from us based on past preferences.)
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Early Childhood Christian Network
You want to provide the best early childhood experience for children and their parents. But you don’t have easy access to high-quality training. We provide you with relevant, research-based, and Biblically-sound training and on-demand courses so that you and your staff can confidently care for and teach young children.
Hey Reader! It’s week 4 of our summer book series! Are you loving it?! A well-loved read aloud is We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. Children love the repetitive language, dramatic storytelling, and playful adventure through swishy grass, deep rivers, thick mud, and dark forests. It’s a great book for integrating movement all over the place! But beneath all the fun is a beautiful reminder about courage and resilience. Throughout the story, the family encounters obstacle after obstacle. Each time,...
Hey Reader! It’s week 2 of our summer book series! Few books capture the beautifully busy minds of young children quite like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Have you ever thought about that? One simple cookie quickly turns into milk, straws, mirrors, haircuts, sweeping, drawing, naps, and eventually… another cookie. Children laugh because the story feels familiar—and honestly, every early childhood teacher smiles because it feels familiar to them too! LOL! Young children are naturally curious,...
Hey Reader! We’re starting a summer newsletter series with a focus on early childhood books. We’re starting today with a Super Simple Science Series by Brock Eastman. I also got to interview him on the podcast. It was WILD! You might want to check it out on our YouTube Channel because we even did some live science experiments!! Bridging the Gap Between Science and Faith Science and faith are often viewed as being at odds with each other. However, for young children, these fields can be...