Knowledge Blooms: Teaching Every Subject with Flowers
History, Art, Science, Math, and Literacy
Every winter, my family reaches a point when we need to see things blooming, to look upon vibrant colors, and feel the warmth. When this time comes, we visit our local botanical greenhouse.
Last year, we met a homeschool friend at the greenhouse, which made me feel more keenly aware of the learning potential there. In the citrus hall, we read about the history of orangeries; later we followed a long mural that showed the entire evolutionary history of plants and flowers.
There is a lot to learn from plants in history, everything from their traditional meaning and use, to the way that people carried them around the world.
When I think of famous flowers from past times, I think of Monet’s Water Lilies and Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
Though I never studied art history, my grandfather taught me to paint and my mother taught me to consider things like light, color, and composition in photographs. Flowers have always been a lovely subject for either pursuit.
