It is never too early to start thinking about starting a classroom garden. Two of our favorite ideas come from Really Good Stuff teachers whose out-of-the-box thinking inspires their students to look at the world them in a new light. This spring, try one of the great ideas below to get your class excited about science.
Sock Gardens
In Winchester, Kentucky, the First Grade students in Gail’s class collect seeds in a most unconventional way. “In the spirit of ‘taking our classroom outside,’ my students and I make ‘sock gardens,'” she explains. “To do this, we wear socks over our shoes and then take a walk on school grounds, where we easily pick up all kinds of seeds. Then we put the socks in see-through plastic shoe boxes along with a layer of soil. We place the boxes outside our classroom windows, check them every day, and water when needed. We are all amazed to see what ‘kicks up’ in each sock garden.”
Corn Watchers
“In spring, and again in the fall, I place an ear of Indian corn in a tray of water,” says Second Grade teacher, Kim, from Mt. Vernon, Indiana. “The students get excited as with each passing day they witness the corn stalks sprouting. We take a series of photos of the corn’s progress and use these to create a Class Corn Watchers’ book, complete with captions supplied by students. We then plant the sprouts in the school garden and create a sequel titled, Our Class Plants and Grows Corn.” Kim also suggests refreshing the water supply every other day to keep the corn growing strong.
How do you get students excited about growing plants? Leave a comment and share your ideas with us!