Many of the following lessons were provided by Darleen Horton, retired Kentucky teacher and current elementary science and environmental education consultant. Other lessons and information sources as noted throughout the guide.
All lessons are aligned to Kentucky Academic Standards in grades K-12 as noted and have a STEAM (Science - Technology - Engineering - Art - Math) focus.
Students will investigate color in the garden and create a fabrics from garden-based plants by transferring color through impact.
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Students will understand that the foods and natural resources they consume come from a broad ecosystem due to our farming, transportation, and commerce systems.
Students will investigate color in the garden and compare them to crayon colors.
Garden in a Bottle is a great Science and Engineering Practices lesson. This simple lesson can be adapted all the way from providing a model for watching seeds sprout to creating investigations on how plants grow, plant parts, environmental factors on growth, and production to the higher level of hydroponic gardening.
Students will identify and describe the major parts of plants we eat: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Students will also learn that vegetables are part of a healthy diet and identify where fruits and vegetables belong
Students will be able to draw conclusions about plant needs and begin to compare them to human needs after completing this simple investigation.
Students will model the life cycle of a plant through dance, learn the parts of a plant by demonstrating the plant life cycle, and learn what a plant needs to live and grow.
A terrarium is a miniature garden grown inside a covered glass or plastic container. It is a low maintenance way to incorporate plants into your classroom or home and an excellent tool for teaching children about the water cycle as it demonstrates evaporation, condensation and precipitation.
Pumpkins are just interesting to all ages. To create an atmosphere of inquiry in a classroom, just bring in a pumpkin and set it on a table.
Exploration and Discovery begins a unit on seeds and plants that grows in depth with each grade level. It includes, science, technology, engineering, art, math, social studies, and literacy.
The point of this lesson is to teach students to learn the importance of topsoil, the amount of topsoil we have, and why we should care for it.
Students will observe weather conditions in the garden over time, understand how weather affects planting times and plant growth., and learn how weather recording tools are used to predict plant success.
This lesson uses a real-world scenario of designing a garden with the hopes of selling the produce it generates. Version here is developed for secondary students and could be paired with lessons on economics, plant science, meal planning, and business planning/financial literacy.
Students will recognize that trees and plants are used to make things that we use, such as food and clothing.
This lessons allows students to design and plant a garden while using several math skills to determine angles and ratios. There is a modified version of the lesson if you do not wish to actually plant and harvest the produce.
Students will learn about the cycle of water—the important processes of accumulation, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, and what causes water to move throughout the earth and its atmosphere.
Soils come in many colors that add beauty to the natural world around us, and this colorful array of soils can even be used to create paints and beautiful paintings.
Students will learn how soil is the foundation of food and other materials that help people live. They will also learn the components of soil, uses and properties, and describe the role soil plays in a healthy ecosystem.
