Biology - Introduction - Primary - 4

(this is actually taken from the elementary introduction)

Biology in the first plane of development

We know that the first plane child is a sensorial explorer and we only need to give one key in order to open up a new world to the child. In botany, we have the key of the botany cabinet; because there is a limitation of the number of leaf shapes in that cabinet, when the child is out in nature looking for the ones she knows, she is going to make the discovery that there are other shapes as well. When she makes that discovery, she’s going to want to know the name of that exception – the child’s interest is piqued. She’ll start to look for other leaf shapes that are not found in the botany cabinet. Hence we don't automatically give every single leaf shape. 

When the child is outside, carefully looking for certain shapes of leaves, she will also discover that they have different colors; in those explorations she may also see the flowers of the plant as well – they too have different shapes and different colors. And the bark, and stems - and what type of soil is each growing in; what is growing around each plant - and then we notice the insects and animals that are attracted to each plant. 

You can see that it took just one key to open the door to an awareness of the varieties of nature. The children are aware of color, they are aware of shape, they become aware of texture and fragrance – and it expands from there – the beauty of this work is that it took just one key in the child’s classroom to make a connection with the world outside.