Watching our Amaryllis Grow...

and wondering if we'll have lovely flowers for Christmas.

Just like last year at this time, my Kindergarten class is watching an amaryllis grow. It's the very same plant I had last year, as I learned how to take care of it over the summer and it worked! You can read about its summer splendour here. Because it bloomed in August, I wasn't sure if we'll see any flowers around Christmas.

Last year I had three boys in Kindergarten, this year it's three boys again, but also four girls. A happy, lively and eager-to-learn bunch, who are keeping me on my toes. It seems none of them have ever seen an amaryllis, but perhaps seeing it in bloom will jog their memory. In any case, we're making some delightful green-and-growing memories now. And learning about taking care of plants at the same time.

This group also each got a tree or shrub to plant in spring; in preparation for our the fall when we were planning to start the school year with a tree unit. They helped their parents plant and take care of it, and remembered to take pictures to share with their peers. I was also planning on creating a book with their photos. Our Trees and Shrubs is complete and will be enjoyed for years to come, along with all the other tree unit books we've made over the years. I heard so many exciting tree stories the first few months of school! The wonder of watching things grow through the eyes of young children is delightful! Every time. Of course, there's wonder in every plant, but even more so seeing it through the eyes of a child.

But, back to our amaryllis. I can't wait to see those seven excited little faces tomorrow, because the stalk has grown quite a bit since we measured it last Thursday. They also enjoyed predicting what colour the flowers will be. Some will be happy to learn their guess was correct.