Read, web, and discuss stories about gardens, plants,
seeds, life cycles, water cycle, etc.
Read, web, and discuss stories about gardens, plants,
seeds, life cycles, water cycle, etc.
Make a word web of all the garden related words you
can, classify words into meaningful groups
Write garden vocabulary on pairs of cards (picture or
definition on one and word on the other) to make a
Memory game.
Make a KWL chart for an informational text about
plants, etc.
Read a “student created book” from writing ideas
below
Read seed/plant catalogues to see what kinds of
plants can grow in your area.
Read about the cause and effect that humans can have
on the environment with pollution, recycling, reusing,
etc.
Play “I Have You Have” with Plant Vocabulary.
Cut apart attached cards. Shuffle
and pass out to students.
The
student with the first card will stand and read their card. Students will listen to the questions and
stand and read their card when they have the appropriate answer.
If students each answer and read their
cards at the correct time they will complete the chain and read all the
cards. My class likes to try to
“beat
their time”. This activity can be used to teach cause and effect, vocabulary,
or food “chain”.
Keep a journal of all garden activities
Make a class book with each student contributing writing and
illustrations. Publish by using
binding
machine, or print by entering information into template found at www.realebooks.com
. This site allows for
hard copy mini-books or online books to be linked to a web page.
Write an invitation to someone in your community to come to a work bee
for your garden or for a
presentation
on student projects relating to garden.
Write
a postcard from a (ladybug, butterfly, toad, etc.) that lives in your garden to
a member of their
family
who lives elsewhere telling all about their new home. Illustrate the back of the postcard, also
practice
addressing postcards if desired
Write instructions to plant a plant correctly.
Can be done as a comic strip, instructional paragraph, or a
linear
web using Inspiration.
Brainstorm lots of “garden” vocabulary on
overhead or using Inspiration, place words on petals of flowers.
Have students draw a set number of petals out of basket
and glue on paper with a stem and leaves to make
a
flower. Underneath have them write
facts, sentences, or a short paragraph using their words.
Using a 3 column format on your computer have students make
brochures about your garden, include digital
or scanned
pictures!
Write detailed descriptions of plants and animals
found in garden to be used in color book in art activities
Student written/illustrated books can be bound and
placed in school library with a check out card attached.
Be sure to include information about the author.
(We have also included a page or two at the back for
students
to tell what they liked about the book.)
Keep tally charts of different kinds of plants
planted in your garden
Compute the area and perimeter of your garden or
parts of your garden
Make tables or charts of different kinds of flowers
or wildlife seen in your gard
Conduct a student survey about your garden, display
results
Find the average number of leaves or flowers per
plants in your garden
Compute the cost of different types of flowers
Measure plants as they grow, then use data to make
graphs, compare/contrast different species
Rock spiral-geometric spiral found in nature
Parts of a plant, draw, describe, act out, build
models (edible models are always fun!)
Photosynthesis
Life cycles/butterflies (we raised butterflies in
classes then released them in our garden which has lots of
plants butterflies like – if you plan a release check with your local
environmental agencies to be sure you are
releasing
a strain of butterflies native to your area)
Gardens are a habitat for……..(toads, worms,
slugs, snails, salamanders, etc…) what do you have? Research
different animals, make
displays, challenge students in your school to observe inhabitants of your
garden,
teach
other students what your animal needs to survive and how to leave them alone.
This could also be a
made
into a booklet for other students in your school.
Food chain. Models
can be made on paper chains, mobiles, or using Inspiration or other
software
Water Cycle on Earth – write and perform a rap or
song teaching fellow students the water cycle
Keep track of the weather in your garden
Research the plants that early pioneers used for
food, medicine, dyes, etc. Do you
have any of them?
Could
you? Are they native to your area?
Make a detailed map of your garden, include title,
scale, and key
Follow a map or directional clues to a secret
location in your garden
Speak of your garden using directional words, East,
West, North, South, post labels
Our garden is on a river, we have pen pals from other
cities connected to our river. Find
pen pals from
other schools with gardens.
Register at www.journeynorth.com
to participate in the tulip project to see the advancement of spring.
This website has lots of
other collaborative projects including a butterfly project for classes to
participate
in
free of charge also.
Include state symbols in your garden, ex:
Petoskey stones in a bench or walk, skeleton of state fish
in
sidewalk, tree or bush to attract robins, white pine tree or apple tree (for
blossoms) on grounds.
History of your area, were there any public gardens
in your town in the past? Are there
some now? When
you prepared the
site did you find any clues about the previous use of the site?
School yard gardens are a great project to teach
civic responsibility and involvement. Invite
members of
your community
to be a part of the project. Students
will see different kinds of volunteers giving their
time
and talents to their community. Brainstorm
ways students can be involved in their community.
Make
a brochure of “Things to see in Brighton” from a kid’s point of view. (Include your garden J)
Economics: Use
math activities to figure out the cost of different parts of your garden.
Make a wish list
of everything
you wish you could have for your garden, make choices of what you will buy, find
the
opportunity
cost (the items you don’t choose)
Student
paintings, drawings, sculptures of items in garden
Older students
can make a color book of plants/animals found in your garden. Include information from
writing ideas above.
Songs
Drama
Artistic plant
stakes, welcome sign, map of garden
Bird houses,
bird baths, frog houses,
Sound garden
”A
to Z Teacher Stuff” is a web site that has a list of different plant/gardening
activities and lessons. Lessons
range from
Pre-K to grade
8. A resource list is included at
the end of the list. http://atozteacherstuff.com/themes/plants.shtml
A list of plant lessons and activities
http://www.isd742.org/fossnewplants.htm
Plants, a long list of sites that include student resources, teacher
resources and printable games and
activities. http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/KingsParkES/technology/plant/index.htm
A unit on plants for primary grades http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/plants.htm
The Plant Process, a unit for 2nd grade http://www3.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/plants/plants1.htm
The Great Plant Escape, a unit for
4th and 5th grade
http://www3.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/plants/plants1.htm
Wild About Plants http://www.bchildmus.org/bcm1/bcm_htm/1_waplat/index.htm
Plants and our Environment, written by the Hinkle Elementary ThinkQuest
Team
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3715/
Creepy Crawly Critters, an web quest about insects
http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/insects/insects.htm
Blooming
Butterflies
http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/butterflies/butterflies.htm
Monarch Butterfly, a teacher led butterfly activity for Kindergarten
http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq35/monarch1
For the Birds, a 1st grade web quest
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/edis771/fall99webquests/student/selizabethpotanko/home.html
“This is Your Life: A Seed’s Journey”, a 3rd grade
Science Web Quest
http://www.scs.k12.tn.us/STT2000_wq/2-5/maclinv/default.htm
“The
Plant Process”, a 2nd-3rd grade Science Web Quest
http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/plants/plants1.htm
“Plant
Parts”
http://www.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/plantquest/index.htm
“Flower
Power, the Journey of a Seed”, a 3rd grade Science Web Quest
http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/webquest/elementary/Science/FlowerPower/Flower%20Power%20Home.htm
“Plant
Parts” a 1st? grade Web Quest
http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/mpollard/webquest.htm
Water Cycle Song
(sung to the tune Found a Peanut) hand motions are in parenthesis.
Repeat!
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