Giving a voice to plants

Prep work

Research local plants and common house plants. 

Steps in the activity

1. Research 
2. Experience
3. Reflect

Step 1: Research

Before engaging in the activity in class, give your learners some homework:

1. Ask your learners to find a plant or a mushroom they like and would like to speak for at the gathering. The plant or mushroom should preferably be a living plant in a pot that they can move easily. An alternative would be a photo of an image of a living plant they would like to speak for.
2. Ask your learners to do research about the conditions that their specific plant or mushroom needs to thrive.
   • For younger learners, this may require that they ask their parents.
   • For older learners, research could include identifying which needs of the plant cannot be met in nature because of the current rate of pollution, biodiversity loss or because of climate change. 

Step 2: Experience

1. When in school, have the learners sit in a circle with their plant/mushroom or the image of their plant/mushroom next to them, so that the plants/mushrooms are part of the circle as well.
2. Have a first round of introduction with the learners introducing the name of the species of the plant/mushroom, where it comes from and what it needs to thrive in a few sentences. 
3. If you are doing this activity as part of a regular ‘Student Parliament’ activity, engage in discussing current issues with the learners and invite them to bring in the perspective of the plant or mushroom they speak for when relevant. If the learners struggle to bring in the plants’ or mushrooms’ voices, you could ask ‘What would your plant/mushroom say to this?’. 
4. If you are doing this activity as standalone, you can invite the plants/ mushrooms and the learners to discuss the school’s policy in relation to climate change and/or the environment (e.g. the school policy on food/food waste, how to get to school, what to do in the playground…), and suggest that they share the views of the plants/mushrooms on it, as well as suggestions for the health and well-being of the plants/mushrooms.

Step 3: Reflect

1. At the end of the conversation, invite learners to reflect on the experience of speaking for a plant/mushroom, as well as on the new ideas that emerged through the discussion.
   • Was something unexpected?
   • Are they inspired to further understand the needs of plants/mushrooms and better take them into account?
   • Do they feel less separateness and more belonging to their ecosystems after the activity? 
2. Optional: Repeat this activity throughout the year and/or at the change of seasons, to dive deeper into the needs and lives of plants/mushrooms, as well as into the functioning of the local ecosystem. 

Dos and Don’ts

Do

• Encourage learners to speak up for their plant by modeling the assignment and bringing a plant yourself when sitting in the circle. 
• Encourage learners to ask you questions about their own plant/mushroom anytime, so that they can clarify the needs of the plant/mushroom before they speak, while they intervene, or following the intervention of another learner. 
• Answer questions that learners may have about their plants/mushrooms on the spot, if you can,  so that they can also learn more about the needs of the plant and the functioning of the ecosystem.

Don’t

• Don’t interrupt the discussion to correct an incorrect statement about the needs of the plant during the discussion. Correct any mistakes or approximations at the end of the discussion.

Adaptations

We invite you to adapt this activity to the specific needs of your learners, including by taking into account their neurodiversity. When adapting tools and activities for neurodivergent learners, please note it is not about treating others how you want to be treated, but how they want to be treated. Ask, listen, and stay open to different ways of learning and engaging. 

References

This activity was designed by One Resilient Earth. 

Han, Ke-Tsung. “Influence of passive versus active interaction with indoor plants on the restoration, behaviour and knowledge of students at a junior high school in Taiwan.” Indoor and Built Environment 27.6 (2018): 818-830.

Jones, V., MacLeod, C. Why Children Need to Read About Plants at a Time of Climate Change. Children’s Literature in Education 55, 416–431 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-022-09511-x 

Morón, Carlos, et al. “THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ETHICS OF CARE IN PRIMARY EDUCATION: A PROPOSAL THROUGH PLANTS.” ICERI2020 Proceedings. IATED, 2020.

Radliff, Charlotte. “Teacher Perspectives on the Effect Caring for Classroom Plants has on Adolescents.” (2020)