CARIBOU, Maine — For eight weeks, Tina Duplissie’s preschool class carefully monitored the growth of potted plants as part of a lesson in compassion, with the results available just in time for Mother’s Day.
“What did we do with our flowers?” Duplissie asked the class.
“We made them grow,” a student at the Hilltop Elementary School chimed in.
“And how did we start?”
“We made a chart.”
The teacher asked Mylah Gagnon what the prekindergarteners put inside the cup to make the plants grow.
“Dirt,” said Gagnon.
Duplissie asked Maryn Michaud what else was put in the cup.
“Seeds,” said Michaud.
“And what did we do with those seeds?”
“We watered them.”
“We watered, watched, and charted the plants’ growth each day,” said Duplissie, “and the students were so excited when they started to see roots.”
The teacher said that, as an experiment, the class placed one plant in the closet, where it did not receive sunlight, causing it to wither away.
“We taught them that people need love as well, and spoke nicely to our plants as they grew,” Duplissie said.
The preschool teacher said the eight-week horticulture session incorporated a variety of valuable life lessons for her students.
“There are a number of facets to the project,” Duplissie said, “from being a good person, caring for the environment, and cleaning your environment so plants can grow.”
The Hilltop prekindergarten students will get to take their plants home with them on Friday, according to Duplissie, just in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday.
