Pull the Weeds, Leave the Lettuce

The beds hold lettuce (green scarves) and weeds (purple scarves); children move through the garden squatting to pull only the weeds and carry them to the compost bin, while the wind keeps planting more. They work on squatting, visual discrimination, and caring for what grows.

How to play

1. Spread green scarves (lettuce) and purple scarves (weeds) in hoop beds, tucked a little under the hoop or into the soil, and show which ones get pulled (2 min).
2. Kids walk between the beds, squat down bending their knees, pull a weed, and carry it to the compost bin (2 min).
3. The teacher plays "the wind that brings seeds" and replants weeds behind them: the work never ends (2 min).
4. Change how we move: in a squat walk, crawling between beds, or with little hops (2 min).
5. At the end, check the beds: all the lettuce is still planted! Celebrate with a gardeners' round of applause (2 min).

Rules

• Only pull the purple weeds.
• One weed at a time, straight to the compost.
• Squat by bending your knees, like real gardeners.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: set some beds on a low table or bench so the child can reach them from the wheelchair.
• Color blindness or low vision: make lettuce and weeds feel different too (smooth scarf vs. bumpy ribbon) or have different shapes.
• Autism: assign one bed and give one fixed instruction ("In your bed, pull the purple ones").

Learning goals

• Bend and straighten the legs repeatedly and safely.
• Tell things apart by sight and decide what to pick up.
• Care for garden plants by telling them apart from weeds.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Green scarves: 20
• Purple scarves: 30
• Hula hoops: 8
• Large bin: 1

Teacher tip

Avoid relying only on green and red because of color blindness: purple and green are easier to tell apart. If you have a real garden, finish by pulling a few real weeds with the teacher right there.

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