Infants learn about the world through their senses – touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. Creating safe, diverse and developmentally appropriate outdoor leaning environments can offer benefits across curriculum and developmental areas.
The key to creating positive experiences in outdoor learning environments lies not only in the physical environment but with the modeling and behavior of caregivers. Just as infants learn about relationships from how people touch/hold them and from the tones of voice or facial expressions, this is also how they learn about their relationship to the natural world around them.
Early sense of trust is not limited to having basic [...]
Lesson Plans, Activities, and Ideas
Great lesson plans make any new classroom project a cinch! Over the years, Growing Minds has developed Farm to School activities that incorporate state and national curriculum. Teachers are currently using these plans throughout Southern Appalachia and beyond. Don’t see what you need? Have a lesson you’re willing to share? Submit it here. We are working on updating our lesson plans. They will be available soon!
Brief Description:
Students plant beans and set up an experiment to examine how light or water impacts plant growth.
Objectives:
Students plant a control and experimental plant from seed
Students design a light or water experiment for their plants
Students make predictions about how their experiment will impact the growth of their plant
Materials:
Seeds, soil, cup, newspaper, water, science notebooks
Standard Course of Study Goals:
Science –1.04, 1.06
English Language Arts – 2.09
Getting Started / Procedure
Students should discuss how light, water, nutrients, and space impact plant growth. Students should design an experiment changing the amount of light or water their plants receive. Discuss how this type of experiment could [...]
Brief Description:
Students use books and handouts to create game show questions about soils and then form teams and play the game.
Objectives:
Have students conduct research on a topic
Students will form questions based on facts and information gathered from research
Share researched information with the class through a fun game
Challenge students to work as a group
Materials :
Books and handouts about insects. Paper and writing materials, whiteboard or chalkboard, play money.
NC Standard Course of Study Goals :
Science – 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04
English Language Arts –1.04, 2.01, 2.03, 3.02, 4.05, 4.06, 5.07
Math – 1.04
Getting Started / Procedure
Explain to students that they are going to be [...]
This is a great measuring activity, in addition to a gardening activity.
Seed tapes make it easy to plant a row of seeds with precision spacing. Seed tapes are helpful when you have a short supply of seeds, or each is very expensive. Seed tapes provide uniform spacing and avoids the need to thin out sprouting seedlings. Control freaks also love that they can predetermine plant spacing without having to “eyeball” it on the spot.
Simply put, seed tapes are just seeds fastened to some sort of thin biodegradable paper by an adhesive that itself is biodegradable. This allows for the plant [...]
Brief Description:
Students create an experimental garden, altering variables and evaluating results.
Objectives:
Brainstorm the factors that affect plant growth
Make group decisions to design an experiment
Take ownership of the garden by helping to decide what is planted
Students make predictions about how their experiment will impact the growth of their plant
Materials:
science notebook, drawing and writing materials.
Getting Started / Procedure
Begin by talking with students about their garden experiences. Take a poll to see how many students have gardens at home, and how many of their grandparents have/had gardens. Discuss with students why they think our culture as a whole has shifted away from gardening, how [...]
Brief Description: Students discuss warm and cool season plants, as well as which plants might need a “head start” inside. Students plant seeds in six pack containers and make predictions.
Objectives:
Students work together to mathematically divide up flats
Students are introduced to the life stages of plants
Students examine the basic needs of seeds and plants and the influence of environmental factors
Students have a hands on experience planting seeds, as well as making observations and predictions
Materials: Seeds, soil, six-pack containers, squirt bottles with water, garden journals, rulers, Popsicle sticks and markers for labeling
NC Standard Course of Study Goals :
Science –1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04, 1.06, 2.03
English [...]
Brief Description:
Students use books and handouts to create game show questions about insects and then form teams and play the game.
Objectives:
Have students conduct research on a topic
Students will form questions based on facts and information gathered from research
Share researched information with the class through a fun game
Challenge students to work as a group
Materials:
Books and handouts about insects, paper and writing materials, whiteboard or chalkboard, play money.
Getting Started / Procedure:
Explain to students that they are going to be able to be team contestants in a game of Jeopardy, but first they have to create the questions for the game. Students are [...]
Brief Description:
Students use books and handouts to create game show questions about soils and then form teams and play the game.
Objectives:
Have students conduct research on a topic
Students will form questions based on facts and information gathered from research
Share researched information with the class through a fun game
Challenge students to work as a group
Materials :
Books and handouts about soils and compost. Paper and writing materials, whiteboard or chalkboard, play money.
NC Standard Course of Study Goals :
Science –2.01, 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.06
English Language Arts –1.04, 1.06,2.03, 2.06, 2.08, 3.03, 3.06, 4.02, 5.08.
Math – 1.02
Getting Started / Procedure
Explain to students that they are [...]
This Week in the Garden was developed to offer teachers ideas for integrating Farm to School into their classrooms. Included recipes are designed to highlight the Get Local @ School product of the month and can be prepared with a class or sent home for families. We have made these resources available in Microsoft Publisher format so that they can be adapted to feature Farm to School activities that are happening at your school. Please feel free to use the “What’s Growing?” section to highlight what is happening in your school garden or for other related news.
If you use this information [...]
