Welcome friends,
Over the past few months I have been building our horticulture program by writing up lesson plans for our session leaders. I have created a binder and as I add lessons I will be posting them for all of you to enjoy. These lessons start with the basics of how to garden. Feel free to use these how you would like. I’ve designed them for kids of all ages, however some projects may be geared towards specific ages (5-12 yrs. old or 13-18 yrs. old). Let’s get started.
In the Garden with Littles
Gardening with our younger kids can be a lot of fun as we can make little kid activities to go with gardening. Below are some ideas and any instructions will be added as another blog. Some of these activities are okay for any age. You will have to make the call on their maturity and if they would enjoy it.
Plant a tin can herb or flower garden
Plant a 4×4 garden box
Make garden plant markers out of popsicle sticks or painted rocks
Chart how long it took to sprout using the Watch Plants Grow chart.
Replant garden scraps
Find a garden box that has a plant that looks like it’s being eaten. Look for caterpillars or bugs. If you figure out what plant and what bug you can do some researching together to find a solution. Use my Garden Books or Farmer’s Almanac online. You may have to do some detective work to find out what kind of bug is the guilty culprit.
Make a science experiment:
Greenhouse effect with milk jug
Test the PH in the soil
Hydroponic experiment
Sprout sweet potatoes
Make a garden craft:
Button stepping stones
Pinecone bird feeder
Build a scarecrow
Make a plate sun dial to learn the time
• (or practice learning time)Make a wind chime/ wind sock
Paint a tin can (pot) or a terra cotta pot
Make a butterfly feeder
Learn about butterflies
Learn about bees
Learn about birds
Learn about worms
Learn about compost
Look up different crops in garden books or on the Farmer’s Almanac online and find out more about them. (how they’re used, history, how they’re grown, nutrition, diseases, recipes, etc.) Some of the things we grow, like herbs, can be used not only to cook, but for medicine, teas, bouquets, etc.
