Learner Guidelines from the NAAEE

Garden Lesson Ideas from Kidsgardening.org

Strand 1 - Questioning, Analysis, and Interpretation Skills

Questioning

Use garden journals to track students' questions about plants. Students can bring in notebooks, or make their own. (See Making Fiend Journals for instructions.)

Designing Investigations

Opportunities for investigations are plentiful in the garden. Read about one classroom's experiments with growing potatoes.

Collecting information

Foster observation and practice it by collecting data about insects visiting your garden (see Inspiring Insect Sleuths).

Evaluating accuracy and reliability

Compare student-made weather tools with more sophisticated weather tracking instruments.

Organizing information

Use flower attributes to create a variety of charts. Check out the lesson Flowers: Graph and Graph Again from Math in the Garden.

Working with models and simulations

Create models to explore how different soil conditions influence rainwater absorption (Catching the Rain ) and how roots impact erosion (Why Root for Roots ).

Drawing conclusions and developing explanations

Use the lesson Look Who's in the Neighborhood from the online curriculum Nature's Partners: Pollinators, Plants, and You to draw conclusions about the types of insects in your garden.

Strand 2 - Knowledge of Environmental Processes and Systems

2.1    The earth as a physical system

Processes that shape the earth

Teach students about decomposition by starting a compost pile. Check out Wasteful Lessons: Delving into Decomposition.

Changes in matter

Build terrariums for your indoor garden and teach students about the changing properties of water in the water cycle.

Energy

Design an energy efficient landscape and teach students about the importance of conserving energy resources.

2.2    The living environment

Organisms, populations, and communities

Explore native plants and compare them to invasive plants. Identify native plants to install in your school garden.

Heredity and evolution

Learn about and practice plant breeding.

Systems and connections

Plant a butterfly garden to observe the life cycles of both plants and animals and how they are connected.

Flow of matter and energy

Investigate the importance of light to plants and discuss how light energy is converted into the 'fuel' that supports all life through photosynthesis.

2.3    Humans and their societies

Individuals and groups

Explore the impact of a community garden on the residents of an urban neighborhood by reading the novel Seedfolks.

Culture

Explore how our food system has changed through the years and how it impacts our environment using the lesson Home Grown? Trends in Home Food Production.

Political and economic systems

Research plant-based biofuels and discuss the political and economic issues surrounding biofuel production.

Global connections

Investigate the environmental impacts of the international cut flower industry.

Change and conflict

Learn about the destruction of natural wetlands due to human development and the problems created by their loss. Preserve or restore a wetland in your schoolyard or community to demonstrate the importance of these spaces.

2.4    Environment and society

Human/environmental interactions

Introduce students to human impact on the environment by investigating how cities impact local climate through weather-data collection in your garden.

Places

Investigate the importance of native plants from around the world through the online Mountain Adventures curriculum.

Resources

Learn about your local water resources and create a plan for conserving water in your garden.

Technology

Explore food-processing advances and the impacts on our environment using Processing Effects from the Farm to Table curriculum.

Environmental Issues

Conduct a taste-test of fruits and vegetables grown locally versus those shipped from a distance using Savoring Flavors from Nourishing Choices. Make the activity a springboard to a discussion of the environmental impact of our transportation system.

Strand 3 - Skills for Understanding and Addressing Environmental Issues

3.1     Skills for analyzing and investigating environmental issues

Identifying and investigating issues

Learn about the problems caused by stormwater runoff and evaluate the different methods used to lessen the environmental impacts. Research rain gardens and then work with other organizations to build a rain garden in your schoolyard or community. Read Rain Gardens to the Rescue for background information and designing guidance.

Sorting out the consequences of issues

Identifying and evaluating alternative solutions and courses of action

Working with flexibility, creativity, and openness

3.2     Decision-making and citizenship skills

Forming and evaluating personal views

Host a community planning event to brainstorm for your garden program.

Evaluating the need for citizen action

Teach students how to research and evaluate current events using What's Up with Wetlands? 

Planning and taking action

Find out what it takes to start a community garden through the lesson Exploring Community Gardens.

Evaluating the results of actions

Uncover the reasons for declines in pollinator populations, then plant a pollinator garden or add pollinator-friendly plantings to an existing garden. Check out the Pollinator Partnerships Planting Guides for regional planting suggestions.

Strand 4 - Personal and Civic Responsibility

Understanding societal values and principles

Grow food crops in your school garden that help you explore diverse cultures and encourage students to conduct interviews with members of the community from those cultures.

Recognizing citizen's rights and responsibilities

Plan a community service project. Click here for ideas.

Recognizing efficacy

Teach students that a successful garden is more than just healthy plants. Check out Planting the Seeds of Community.

Accepting personal responsibility

Read how one school's Environmental Empowerment Club is growing plants and responsible citizens in their garden.