Garden of Learning
Curriculum

A Year in the Garden. 
Our curriculum has a school year’s worth of lessons presented loosely in sequence of a typical school year. 
Some are essentially academic; others are labor intensive, getting the jobs of a real organic garden done. Some have grade level worksheets, and require students to do some writing, math, observations, data collecting or microscopic work. 
On the back page of our lesson plans you’ll find “A Gardener’s Notes” page. These are in-depth directions and suggestions about the lesson, written for the Garden Coordinators. They’re also a handy place to put your own notes, or simply record things you’ll do differently next time.

Garden of Learning also offers individual lesson plans to build on the program from year to year, for example; a different worm lesson to rebuild your Worm Motel, a new Jeopardy game, a new insect microscopic study, etc. Each year your school can purchase a new set of Garden of Learning lesson plans to keep your program fresh. Having said that, we strongly encourage schools, once they get up and running, to add to their own lesson plans by inventing them, or by drawing upon the wealth of good garden curriculum that is out there. And as we develop new ones at Garden of Learning, we’ll continue to make them available.

Sample Lesson Plans

A Good Ol’ Fashioned Hoe Down		Garden of Learning Journals			Float Like a Butterfly
Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Teaches the kids about garden maintenance while avoiding a weedy takeover.		Lesson: (Language Arts) Students make journals to be used all year for recording observations and written exercises.			Lesson: (Science) Students use microscopes to examine two different types of butterflies and record their observations.
Butterfly Jeopardy		Diggin the Doo			Lettuce Begin
Lesson: (Science) Students learn about the life cycle and anatomy of butterflies while playing Butterfly Jeopardy.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students add soil amendments and prepare plots for the winter crops.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students will plant winter crops, including lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, pansies, herbs, flowers and more.
Pumpkin Einsteins		Just Like the Lupine Lady			Can I Have a Blanket?
Lesson: (Math/Science) In this activity pumpkins are used to teach students the Scientific Method. A question is posed; students conduct an investigation to gather data, then study what was observed and draw a conclusion.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science and Language Arts) Students learn a valuable social lesson while planting bulbs on campus.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students lay down mulch, learning how it keeps roots warm, soil moist and soft, and inhibits the growth of new weeds.
Worm Diner		The Soil Ecosystem			Soil in Focus
Lesson: (Math/Science) Students rebuild the contents of a Worm Motel, learning about vermicomposting while using their math skills.		Lesson: (Science) Through the simple act of digging a hole in the garden students will evaluate and record vital information about the health of the soil.			Lesson: (Science) Students use microscopes to examine slides of the particles that make up soil, recording their observations.
Mosaic Stepping Stones Part l		Mosaic Stepping Stones Part lI			To Market We Will Go Part I
Lesson: (Art/Economics) Students will create Mosaic Stepping Stones to beautify the garden and/or sell at the Farmer's Market.			Lesson: (Art/Economics) Students will grout their Mosaic Stepping Stones.		Lesson: (Art/Economics) Students make posters for their Farmer's Market.
Worm Traveler		Ecosystem Evaluation			Ecosystem Jeopardy
Lesson: (Science, Math and Language Arts) Students read the Diary of a Worm book. Then they will check one worm out of their Worm Motel to examine and make a passport for the worms travels.		Lesson: (Science and Language Arts) Students visit the garden, and using the scientific method, conduct an evaluation of its ecosystem.			Lesson: (Science) Students will learn about the ecosystem, the role of the plants and animals that live there while playing a game of jeopardy.
Once There Was a Little Old Ant		Life in an Ant House			Spring Cleaning
Lesson: (Science) Students use microscopes to examine the anatomy of an Ant and record their observations.		Lesson: (Science and Math) Students observe an Ant Farm and record their observations.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science)Students will do a little spring cleaning, learning about general maintenance.
Mother’s Little Pansies Part I		That’s Why the Lady is a Bug			Bunny Brunch
Lesson: (Arts and Crafts) Students cut and press flowers to prepare for making Mother’s Day gifts a few weeks later.		Lesson: (Science) Students study a live ladybug's anatomy and life cycles.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening /Nutrition) Students make and eat salads from their garden, giving them an appreciation for how food is produced while also proving to themselves that they can eat their vegetables after all.
It's Moving Day		To Market We Will Go Part II			Mother’s Little Pansies Part II
Lesson: (Bacis Gardening/Economics) Students transplant plants from the garden to sell at the Farmer's Market.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Economics) Students harvest the winter crops and prepare them for sale at the Farmer's Market.			Lesson: (Arts and Crafts) Students make Mother's Day gifts, using flowers they pressed from the garden.
We Need Some Air Down Here!		Falling Into Next Year’s Crop			Honeydew, Honey Don’t
Lesson: (Basic Gardenin/Scienceg) Students will clean up the spring garden, weed, add soil amendment and aerate the soil.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students will replant the garden with sumflowers, pumpkins, gourds, corn, flowers, herbs and more for the next school year.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students will partcipate in a end of the year garden clean-up to leave it in good shape for the summer. This activity can be used any time when the garden needs some elbow grease.
Seedy Start		A, B, Seed			A Good Ol' Fashioned Hoe Down
Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students start seeds indoor for transplanting later.		Lesson: (Science) Students will dissect lima beans, exploring their different parts to learn how seeds function.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Teaches the kids about garden maintenance while avoiding a weedy takeover.
I Never Metamorphosis I Didn’t Like		A Scarecrow in the Classroom			Diggin’ the Doo
Lesson: (Science) Students raise butterflies, watching them emerge from their chrysalises in the classroom. With this lesson we’ll study metamorphosis and learn all about butterflies.		Lesson: (Creative Writing) Each class works together to make a scarecrow. Then, students engage in a writing exercise, imagining that their scarecrows come to life and join them in the classroom.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students add soil amendments and prepare plots for the winter crops.
Lettuce Begin		Like, Totally Tuberous, Dude!, Part l			Check in Time
Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) We plant our winter crops, including lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, pansies, herbs, flowers and more.		Lesson: (Science) Students study how bulbs grow, using worksheets that hone their powers of observation, while also creating a colorful display for next spring.			Lesson: (Science) Students rebuild the contents of a "Worm Motel". The students will raise worms by recycling lunch or garden scraps all year long to enrich the soil.
Worm Jeopardy		Can I Have a Blanket?			Near and Dear
Lesson: (Science) Students play a game of “Worm Jeopardy” and learn about worms and their role in gardening and the environment.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students lay down mulch, learning how it keeps roots warm, soil moist and soft, and inhibits the growth of new weeds.			Lesson: (Science) Students use simple microscopes to examine some plant and organic material from our garden, recording their observations.
Mosaic Pots, Part l		Mosaic Pots, Part ll			Incredible Edibles
Lesson: (Art/Economics) Students will create Mosaic Pots to beautify the garden and/or sell at the Farmer's Market.			Lesson: (Art/Economics) Students will grout their Mosaic Pots.		Lesson: (Nutrition.) Students learn about edible plants, and diagram which parts of the plants they eat.
To Market We Will Go, Part I		Check Out Time			A,B,C of Bees
Lesson: (Art/Economics) Students make posters for their Farmer's Market.		Lesson: (Science) We check some worms out of our "Worm Motel" to examine and learn about nature’s decomposers.			Lesson: (Science) Students use microscopes to examine the anatomy of a bee and record their observations.
Honeybee Jeopardy		Like, Totally Tuberous, Dude!, Part ll			Mother’s Little Pansies, Part I
Lesson: (Science) Students play a game of “Honeybee Jeopardy” and learn about bees and their symbiotic role in gardening and the environment.		Lesson: (Science) Students return to the bulbs they planted last autumn and update their recorded observations.			Lesson: (Arts and Crafts) Students cut and press flowers to prepare for making Mother’s Day gifts a few weeks later.
Spring Cleaning		I Still Never Metamorphosis I Didn’t Like, Part ll			X Marks the Spot
Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students will do a little spring cleaning, learning about general maintenance.		Lesson: (Science) Students let their butterflies go free in the garden after they emerged in the classroom. Now the kids explore the garden for signs that the butterflies have set up housekeeping.			Lesson: (Science) We’ll use microscopes to examine the anatomy of a ladybug.
It's Moving Day		To Market We Will Go Part II			Mother’s Little Pansies Part II
Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Economics) Students transplant plants from the garden to sell at the Farmer's Market.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Economics) Students harvest the winter crops and prepare them for sale at the Farmer's Market.			Lesson: (Arts and Crafts) Students make Mother's Day gifts, using flowers they pressed from the garden.
We Need Some Air Down Here!		Falling Into Next Year’s Crop			The Garden Path
Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students will clean up the spring garden, weed, add soil amendment and aerate the soil.		Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students will replant the garden with sumflowers, pumpkins, gourds, corn, flowers, herbs and more for the next school year.			Lesson: (Basic Gardening/Science) Students tend to their garden pathways, pulling out weeds and spreading gravel, bark or other materials to block weeds.
Back to purchasing Page