How Does Your Garden Grow?
Kids get really excited about planting their own garden – anticipating the beautiful flowers and tasty veggies can really be motivating. Encourage their excitment, but also teach them the importance of planning. As a family decide what you'll plant. Take an expedition into the yard and figure out the best place for it go. Look for a spot that has good air flow and great sunlight. Sit down with a piece of paper or next to the dry erase board to plan your garden's design as a family.

A great place to start (with both your garden AND your lessons) is to look at how other cultures grow their gardens. Japanese Gardens are soft and manicured, Islamic Gardens are a bright oasis in the midst of dry-land surroundings, English Gardens are ordered and full of topiaries, while American Gardens tend to replicate the abundant beauty of nature. You can ask your kids which type of garden they prefer and maybe even investigate why different cultures create such varying gardening styles. Do I smell the beginnings of an in-depth research paper? Maybe...

Planting the Seeds of Knowledge
Now that you know what you’re going to plant and where, it’s time to buy your seeds. But what is a seed, anyway? And what does it need to grow? Here you have the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about the different parts of a seed and how they sprout. Check out this science lesson plan, From Seed to Plant, for ideas on how to approach this project.

Once your kids understand how seeds grow, they can even turn their garden into a science project. Begin by having them write a list of all of the things they think a plant needs to grow (sunlight, water, fertilizer, etc) and then test their hypothesis. For example, if they think tomatoes need sunlight to grow, then plant one tomato in direct sun and a second in the shade, then observe which plant grows better. You can download this Sample Data Chart to help your kids collect their information.

Older homeschoolers may even want to experiment with cross-pollination. They can learn about genetics and how Gregor Mendel experimented with pea plants in the 1800’s. Tomatoes are actually quite easy to cross-pollinate – in fact, we accidentally created a hybrid tomato in our own garden simply by placing two different types of tomato plants right next to each other!

Cross-Pollinate Across your Curriculum
From language arts to math and science, the garden is just ripe with possible lesson plans! Here are more ideas on how to bring your lessons out into the garden:

• The Arts. Reading, writing, and drawing are perfect companions in the garden. You can have your kids read Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. This is one of my all-time favorite books and can really get kids excited about growing their own garden. Kids can also keep a journal about their garden and write about which plants they’ve tried to grow, how they feel about the garden, etc. Or why not just sit outside and draw some of your beautiful flowers?



• Math. Even math lessons can make their way out into your garden. Help your younger kids count how many buds are on a flower or instruct them to give every seedling exactly 1/8 a cup of water. You can ask older children to determine how productive a tomato plant is by figuring out the ratio of fruit per plant – with this information, can they tell you how many tomatoes they could expect to harvest from 20 plants? Or how about figuring the cost of each tomato? Determine how much you’ve spent per seed, potting soil, seedling set, etc and then calculate how many seeds actually sprouted and how many tomatoes you’ve harvested. How much have you paid per tomato? How much do tomatoes cost at the grocery store? How much money have you saved? (This project might even get little entrepreneurs excited enough to start a tomato business!)



• Politics. That’s right, even your little garden can spark a political debate! Have your kids research topics like Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) and Organic Farming. What does it mean to genetically modify a plant? What are fertilizers and pesticides? Which approach to farming do they think is better for the environment and for people? The PBS program NOW produced a well-balanced episode on the GMO controversy on October 4, 2002 called “Seeds of Conflict.” You can access the episode summary, read articles, and even download the transcript at the PBS Website.

Fun in the Sun!
The best part about gardening is that it’s something that can involve the entire family – plus you get to reap the rewards! Whether it’s pretty flowers in a vase on your windowsill or fresh tomatoes in your salad, kids love knowing that they had a hand in growing what you enjoy – and you will too!

If you’re looking for more lesson plans, printables, and other resource sites for ideas on teaching about plants and gardens, check out A to Z Teacher Stuff.

Happy Gardening!