One of the best ways to teach our students and children about ethical & sustainable living is by allowing them to SEE that they can make an impact on the world around them in a positive way. A wonderful way to begin changing the world is by planting a seed. A small seed grows into something powerful. Something that is good for the environment and good for your body, too. Check out this *FREE* first-step lesson to creating an herb garden in your home or at your school today! The possibilities are endless.
Enduring Understandings:
-Organisms must share resources to meet the needs of living things equally, across places and generations.
-Food comes from nature: plants
-Some of our food comes from gardens.
Learning Goals:
-The learners will cultivate a garden.
-The learners will use compost they made to nourish and grow the plants in their garden.
-The learners will discover the joy and wonder of growing food.
-The learners will experiment with planting different seeds and plants.
Time: 60-90 minutes (spanning over a few days time)
Materials: a plot of earth ready for gardening, kid-sized gardening tools, herb seeds from local farms and produce, herb plants for students to touch, smell, see, and taste, compost (made by students)
Directions:
-Read, “A Seed is A Promise” by Claire Merrill
-Create a KWL chart and write down what students know about seeds
-Ask the students what questions they have about seeds and write what students want to know about seeds
-Save the third column on your KWL chart (L) to record what the students learn about seeds as they explore gardening over the next few months
-Bring the students outside to the plot of earth ready for gardening
-Section off various portions of the garden with large, laminated signs that show the type of seed and plant the seeds will be planting. Various herbs that grow well in Belize include: Sweet Basil, Local Basil, Rosemary, Cilantro, Local Oregano, Peppermint and Spearmint
-Have students fill the upraised soil bed with the compost they’ve cultivated in the classroom
-Give the students access to various herb seeds and plants and direct them to plant them in the appropriate section
-Bring students to the garden daily with their nature journals. Record growth of seeds, questions, observations, pictures, “aha” moments, favorite smells, etc.
More Gardening Ideas:
- Create a butterfly garden
- Create a pizza/salsa garden
- Create a rainbow garden
- Create an herbal tea garden
- Create a literacy garden
- Create a Story Walk in your Garden
