One of the classes our homeschool co-op is offering this spring is gardening for kids. The class is for 1st-3rd grades, and it is being taught by various master gardeners in our area. Many states have Master Gardener programs; you can check this website to find a program in your area. I have found that it is terrific to bring in outside teachers who have passion for their subject! It stirs up student interest and curiosity in a way that we cannot do on our own. It also takes some of the teaching burden off the mothers; it is a win-win!
Class Topics in Gardening for Kids
I don't have a syllabus to share with you, but some of the topics the master gardeners are teaching include:
- plant helpers (wind, animals, how seeds travel)
- unusual vegetables and fruits
- germination (starting seeds)
- composting
- planting (how to start indoor plants)
- windowsill garden
- three sisters garden
- pizza garden
- creative container gardenting
- making newspaper pots
- seed identification
- making plant and garden markers using rocks and tongue depressors
- bugs in the garden (who helps and who hurts)
- service project (volunteer to plant flowers at a nursing home, senior center, or church)
Stories for Young Gardeners
The students will be learning about gardening, working on projects, and listening to some great books and stories.
- Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals
- The Empty Pot by Demi (free lapbook printables for this book at Homeschool Share)
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
- Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert (free lapbook printables for this book at Homeschool Share)
- Holly Bloom's Garden by Sarah Ashman (free lapbook printables for this book at Homeschool Share)
- The Reason for a Flower: A Book about Flowers, Pollen, and Seeds by Ruth Heller
- Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (free lapbook printables for this book at Homeschool Share)
- The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons
- Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer
- Yucky Worms by Vivian French
Gardening Journal
The gardeners are also including a journal and asking the children to write and draw in their journals at the end of class. The directions and some ideas for using the journal pages are included in the 21 page download below.
Thanks so much for including my COMPOST STEW among the books being shared in your Homeschool Co-op Class! I'm delighted to discover that my book will be used to introduce your students to the joys of gardening, and welcome everyone to extend their learning by digging into the heap of COMPOST STEW Activities, Resources & Lesson Plans that I've gathered on my website at http://www.siddals.com/compost-stew.html
Hello, Thank you for enthusiastically educating kids, the future of this beautiful planet!
I’m putting the word out about “Shanleya’s Quest: A Botany Adventure for Kids Ages 9 to 99”
by Thomas J. Elpel, who is also the author of “Botany in a Day”.
He provides a Lesson Plan for learning plant family patterns, see:
http://www.hopspress.com/Books/Curriculum_Guide/Lesson_Plans/Patterns_in_Plants.htm
Both books are being used by Master Gardener’s, young and old alike. I hope you find them useful.