How to Grow Fresh Green Leaves, Stories, and Kids
There’s nothing like fresh green leaves after a long winter. Resting our eyes on lush grass can be healing, and we can make the plant world sparkle with unique presence for our kids by telling stories that draw their imagination into the growing sprouts.
When we tell a story about something real we tie imagination and reality together, a process we call the Storytelling Loop. Play often becomes a third component, because our stories open up a child’s curiosity to explore and create.
By “planting” a story in something real (in this case grass), our kids awaken to a very rich experience, with plenty of room to explore both reality and imagination.
In This Episode
Learn how to sprout and grow your own wheat grass (video below)
Listen to an example of a story that connects a child’s imagination to the growing grass
Explore the background of how story, real life, and creative activities make for rich experiences that build intimacy in the home
Choose between the story we’ve recorded, or use it as an example to tell your own
In The Story
Mira lives in the city. She loves her mom and dad, but she misses her Grandmother’s farm. Then she remembers the little seed pouch Grandmother gave her. She gathers a pot, some soil, and puts all her love and attention into the little seed babies in her care.
In doing so, Mira brings the whole family together, and the story describes the same process you and your child will follow to plant your own seed babies at home.
In a second story, Randolph Roots, the gnome of the mountain, visits Mira’s Grandmother, and we get to see the seed babies from a whole new perspective.
After The Story
Plant your seed babies. Below is a short video with instructions for growing wheat grass, which is very simple. But you could grow beans, squash, or any plants you like. The goal isn’t so much to replicate our process, but to observe the relationship between story and the real world. Have fun with it. Explore. We share stories and examples with the intention of inspiring you to create your own.
How to Sprout & Grow Wheat Berries
Materials List
Wheat Berries (available at a natural grocer or in the bulk foods aisle)
Water
Bowl
Pot
Topsoil (just a few scoops)
The Connection Between Story, Play, and Intimacy
Storytelling is, and always has been, a tool for connection. There is a lot of research available on the benefits of storytelling today: it helps us remember information, build empathy, practice difficult life events, and more. All this is a result of the simple fact that our ancestors evolved this skill to build and maintain the social relationships vital to their survival.
We can take advantage of this intimacy by sharing simple, yet meaningful stories with our kids. There is a reason we like stories so much - it’s how our brains work.
If you have ever watched children play, you will observe that there is almost always an invisible element at work - the story or game that is being acted out. We call this The Storytelling Loop - you start with something real (like a toy, food, or event), tell a story about it, then end up with a new perspective on that very real thing.
In this story, the grass is the real thing we’re working with. It’s our starting point. The story draws a child’s attention into this real thing, and imagination makes it exciting and fun. When we return to the real world - watching the grass grow day by day, guarding it with a special stuffie, or even acting out a character from the story - we bring the story to life. We make it real.
The connection and intimacy that this builds into the family is often one of the most meaningful events of the day.
We try to give you the raw materials so that you can easily observe the process and create stories on your own. You are an accomplished storyteller. You just might not realize it yet. Your ancestors worked long and hard on this skill, and you inherited those gifts. With practice, you will recognize that this skill is something that lies deep inside you. It lives in every human on the planet.
