Fall

Exploring soils, digging soils

Written by Lorie Hammond for use with TK-3 students in garden lesson

 

When it is time to dig the garden, it can be useful to take half the class to dig and have another activity for the other half, then switch. This lesson enables kids to explore the science question of “what is in the soil?”  at an explore-it picnic table while some kids are simultaneously weeding and digging in a garden bed to prepare it for planting. Then switch.

 

If you have time in your class, you might want to begin by reading one of the books listed below. If not, it can be put out as a resource along with the other things on the “explore-it table”.

 

What to put on the Explore-it table: (These are some ideas- others are possible)

Explain that we want to show respect for the living things we might find. Treat them gently. We will return them to the garden when we finish.

 

1. Several trays with a layer of dirt and weeds taken from the top layer of a garden bed or two, and/or possibly from a compost pile. Chopsticks and magnifying glasses so that kids can explore what’s in the dirt. Bugs and worms may emerge. That is good. Try to keep it all in the tray.

 

If you like, paper on clipboards on which to draw or graph the things that you find.

 

1. Simple two-way microscopes if available. A worm or insect can be put in the field and examined by kids, gently. Then returned to the dirt.

 

1. Worms- Either dig some in your compost pile or get a carton of worms from Ace or another source. Kids can each (gently) take a worm on a paper plate and watch how it moves and what it does. Refer to the book below if you like.

 

1. Resource books about dirt/soil that kids can look at. Here are some good ones:

 

• by Steve “the Dirtmeister” Tomecek- a National Geographic Jump into Science book for kids.

 

Dirt: The Scoop on Soil. By Natalie M. Rosinsky. Picture Window Books.

 

Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer. Stage 2: Let’s read and find out science books by Harper Collins Publishers

 

 

Exploring Seeds

Exploring seeds in the natural garden: 

By Lorie Hammond

 

Learning goals: to inquire about how seeds  have evolved in different ways that will help them to plant themselves. To observe the biodiversity in the natural garden. To classify plants by how they disseminate themselves. 

 

Introduction: Gather students on the paved area in center of garden. Introduce ourselves and explain that they may have different garden teachers this fall, but we will all do the same thing. We will always begin by gathering for a few minutes to hear the plans for the day. Then students will get to do something active in the garden, often work in pairs. At the end of the day, we will gather on this patio again to share what we learned.

 

In today’s lesson, we will study seeds in our garden. It is fall, so many plants are finishing their growth for the year. Some will die back in winter. 

 

All plants have one main goal in life before they die. What is that? (to make more plants; to reproduce…) Many accomplish this goal through making SEEDS. That is why there are so many seeds in the garden in fall.

 

These seeds take many forms. They have evolved to plant themselves in different ways. We are going to work with a partner today to find seeds and look at them carefully to try to understand why they have evolved as they have. First we will look at some seeds together.

 

Show a big chart. It has 4 sections which correspond to common ways seeds travel: by wind, by falling, by sticking in animals’ coats, or by being eaten by animals along with a fruit or nut (and getting planted in their poop!). 

 

Ask volunteers to come up, choose a seed, decide how they think it travels, and tape it on the big chart. Ask others if they agree as needed.

 

After placing a few seeds, tell students that they will now get to go out into the natural garden and find two or three seeds that they can tape onto a piece of paper. They can then try to write how these seeds might travel, copying words from the big chart if needed. They wlll work in partners. (A couple of trios are OK too) We will do this for about 10 minutes, then return to the patio at the end of class. 

 

Reflection: What is the most interesting seed you found? How do you think it travels?

 

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Winter

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Spring