Hello everyone! I will be creating Lesson Plans for the students of Mt. Zion based on the Gardening Grant that is being developed by Maria and her group. I will strive to create accessible information for the students and hands on activities in the garden. My hope is that a concrete plan of action will enhance the students' understanding of regional gardening, the importance of being green (enviornmentaly friendly)and the joy of working with nature.

Lesson Plan Examples

Gardening Themes

National Enviornmental education Week

Sunshine State Standards

My Healthy School

Gardening with Kids Grants and Lesson Plans

Examples for Lesson Plan Layouts

Earth Box Instructional Materials

What is A Seed? sample assignment, .pdf format

Final Project Plans: http://pilotingpedagogies.pbwiki.com/Lesson+Plans-+Final+Project+Example 

Thinking it through...

Create Student Ownership: Kid Generated= Kid Owned

Make a name for the gardening club

Ask students what they want to plant...(all fruits and veggies? all flowers? both?)

Explain why some things grow better in different regions of the country

If students want to grow things that don't belong down here ask them how they might help those plants grow

Assign jobs and responsibilities for students

Jobs: weeding, watering, mulching, harvesting etc

Maybe each student has a foot of garden (like Perkins)

Explain that the hardest part of gardening is keeping the garden up: We must all be responsible for the life of the garden

*Teaching point: The garden can teach children responsibility and follow through: perfect way to engage kinesthetic learners and alternative learners

Take students to an already established free garden: The nature center, The science center, Botanical Gardens, Sunken Gardens, Boyd Hill? To show them what their garden can become

What we need: trowels, tiller, gloves, rake, hose, watering cans, stakes for names of plants, measuring stick, soil, seeds, potted plants

I am very excited, after visiting Mt Zion I have a much better idea of what they need, the space they have and the support already in place. I can't wait to get started! I have some ideas for lesson plans that will help students understand the in's and out's of gardening.

The garden will focus on veggies that the students can plant, grow, harvest and eat! Some of the goals that Ms. Rlinda (sp?) mentioned

for the project include: 1) Each child will have his/her own plot of land to nurture and care for throughout the year 2) The children will learn

skills which can bring home to use in their own garden...she said: "times are tough and it would be nice to teach them to grow their own

food" 3) Students will watch it grow and learn throughout the process

Some of the veggies we will focus on are: peanuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, collard greens, peas, cucumbers, *pumpkins, okra,

zucchini, tomatoes and pineapples

*most of these are hearty, easy to grow, some even grow under ground

Garden Space: 21ft x 21ft, behind the "Safe" house where CARE is held

Time period: Students arrive at or around 3:30 pm and will be able to garden until 4:15 when tutoring starts

Who will be involved?: The garden will be set up as a club for anyone interested, but it will be a commitment! Each student will be responsible for

their plot of land including weeding, watering,fertilizing and harvesting (etc.) The students will learn about their plant's survival needs

and be responsible for keeping their plot alive. The teachers will help keep kids interested and involved.

To help remind kids how the garden works (after they have been taught the basics) I will create a colorful, easy to follow booklet that the kids can reference when needed.