Growing More Than Plants - LOT Bethany Visits Bollywood Veggies

At Little Olive Tree Bethany, learning often begins with wonder.

Sometimes it begins with a question. Sometimes with muddy hands. And sometimes, with children quietly noticing a dragonfly resting on a line.

As part of our Creation C.A.R.E. journey this year, the children visited Bollywood Veggies for a hands-on learning experience centred around planting, patience, and growth. Surrounded by gardens, vegetables, flowers, insects, and open spaces, the children were invited to slow down and observe the beauty and rhythms of the natural world.

This year, our Creation C.A.R.E. focus encourages children to see themselves as both gardeners of the Earth and gardeners of the heart. Just as plants require care, patience, and consistent nurturing to grow, character is also formed slowly through responsibility, attentiveness, kindness, and perseverance.

Throughout the visit, the children explored the farm with curiosity and excitement. They observed different plants up close, touched leaves with different textures, smelled flowers, noticed insects, and asked thoughtful questions about how things grow.

Some crouched low to inspect tiny details. Others eagerly pointed out colours, shapes, and patterns they noticed around them. What may seem simple to adults often becomes deeply meaningful to children when they are given time and space to truly pay attention.

The experience also gave children opportunities to participate in practical tasks connected to gardening and care. They learned about planting, watering, and the role that patience plays in growth. Through these experiences, children begin to understand an important truth: growth cannot be rushed.

Seeds take time. Roots grow quietly. And flourishing often happens slowly and steadily.

At Little Olive Tree, we believe these lessons matter deeply in the early years.

In a world that often celebrates speed, performance, and visible results, we want children to learn the value of faithful tending. Caring well for what has been entrusted to them, even when growth cannot yet be seen.

Creation C.A.R.E. is rooted in the Christian call to steward God’s creation with gratitude and responsibility. As children learn to care for plants and living things, we also hope they grow in compassion, courage, patience, and respect for the world around them.

But beyond environmental awareness, this journey is also about learning to notice beauty.

The colours of flowers. The patterns on leaves. The stillness of a dragonfly. The joy of watering a plant together.

These moments shape more than knowledge. They shape the heart.

Because at Little Olive Tree, excellence is not found only in polished outcomes or finished products. It is found in the quiet formation of character, the habits of care developed over time, and the growing ability to see the world with wonder, gratitude, and responsibility.

As the children returned from Bollywood Veggies with muddy shoes, tiny pots, and excited conversations, we were reminded once again that meaningful learning often happens in the simplest moments.

One seed. One question. One small act of care at a time.