Most people agree that gardening is a great experience for children, and the organic garden at our school is one of the things that parents find attractive about our campus. But did you ever wonder what exactly they learn from gardening? Well, if you did, wonder no more. The following is a list of the ways gardening can be used as part of a Montessori curriculum, blending into all areas of the classroom... or any learning environment, really. It was originally written over a year ago, as part of a grant application. Although we weren't chosen to receive the grant, it was still useful to put all of the ideas together in one place, so we can try to be consistent about applying them :) Here they are! Orange text has been changed from the original or added.
Toddler
(18 months to 3 years):
Practical
Life: the garden provides practical life experiences such
as food preparation, planting, and harvesting. The toddlers will be
able to plant and harvest low-maintenance fruits and vegetables,
leading to discussions about where food comes from and how it grows.
They will have first-hand experience using the food grown in the
garden for simple food preparation activities, such as cucumber
cutting. Practical life activities such as gardening also help to
promote independence, fine motor coordination, concentration, and
respect for one's environment. In addition, the garden serves an an
introduction to cultivated plants and the ways that people use them,
giving a glimpse of cross-cultural values.
Language:
using the garden, the toddlers will learn the names of fruits and
vegetables, as well as the names of the parts of the plants (root,
stem, leaf, branch, petal, stamen, pistil, etc). They will learn to
classify plants as flowers, vegetables, or fruits. They will also
learn the terminology associated with gardening activity, such as the
names of the tools used, and words that are introduced as part of the
science lessons.
Science:
the garden provides opportunities to briefly introduce the children
to the idea of chemistry. For example, they will learn that plant
matter breaks into pieces and and becomes food for new plants. They
will also learn that the plant needs certain things, such as sunlight
and water, in order to stay alive. The garden will also provide
entomology experiences, as well as the opportunity to observe insects
in their natural habitat and discuss how they help or hinder plant
growth.
Primary
(3-6 years):
Practical
Life: the
primary
children
will
continue
to
learn
the
lessons
begun
in
the
toddler
class,
with
greater
breadth
and
more
independence.
The
food
preparation
activities
will
become
more
complicated.
Mathematics:
food
preparation
begins
to
incorporate
measurements
and
numbers.
The
children
may
count
the
number
of
fruits
on
a
given
plant
or
the
number
of
plants
in
the
garden.
Sensorial:
The
garden
will
be
associated
with
lessons
using
the
five
senses.
Children
will
smell
the
plants
and
classify
the
scents,
taste
the
foods
and
label
them
as
sweet,
salty,
sour,
or
bitter,
and
play
games
comparing
size
of
plants
or
fruits.
They
will
also
be
able
to
touch
the
plants
and
determine
texture.
They
may
play
listening
games
in
the
garden,
to
see
if
the
wildlife
nearby
makes
a
noise,
or
if
the
wind
rustles
the
leaves,
and
compare
the
sound
of
plucking
a
ripe
food
as
opposed
to
an
unripe
one.
Language:
primary
children
will
experience
a
greater
breadth
of
terminology,
particularly
incorporating
the
language
from
the
sensorial
work,
as
well
as
writing
experiences
such
as
listing
the
plants
in
the
garden.
Children
may
be
given
opportunities
to
create
their
own
recipes
using
the
fruits
and
vegetables
they
have
harvested.
Children
who
are
able
to
read
will
be
offered
the
opportunity
to
read
planting
directions or recipes and
lead
the
other
children.
Science:
The
lessons
started
in
the
toddler
class
become
more
defined,
and
present
a
clear
cycle.
Children
are
able
to
do
plant
dissections
and
labeling.
Elementary
(6-12 years):
Practical
life: food
preparation
becomes
even
more
complex,
using
many
different
types
of
food
in
one
recipe.
Foods
may
be
cooked,
dried,
or
ground
for
later
use.
Gardening
can
be
done
with
very
little
intervention.
Students
may
have
experience
canning
foods
when
the
garden
produces
too
much
for
immediate
consumption.
Elementary
students
may
also
be
given
daily
tasks
to
care
for
and
maintain
the
garden,
such
as
checking
moisture
levels
in
the
soil
or
inspecting
the
fence
to
ensure
that
rabbits
and
birds
are
excluded.
Mathematics
and Science:
children
can
measure
the
area
of
each
planting
space,
and
determine
how
many
plants
will
fit
in
the
area.
They
can
also
take
measurements
on
how
long
a
plant
takes
to
germinate
or
provide
fruit,
or
measure
the
size
of
a
single
fruit
and
see
how
it
changes
from
day
to
day
or
week
to
week.
The
children
can
discuss
in
detail
the
biology
of
plants,
and
the
inter-relations
between
different
plants,
insects,
and
animals.
They
can
also
measure
the
acidity
of
the
soil
or
the
fruits
and
vegetables,
using
litmus
paper
made
from
cabbage
leaves, which they can harvest from garden cabbages.
The
children
can
do
experiments
using
the
garden
plants
as
controls,
then
isolating
different
variables
on
class
plants
to
see
what
changes.
Language
and Culture:
the
elementary
children
can
do
research
to
find
out
which
plants
grow
well
in
our
climate,
what
some
common
challenges
are,
and
what
the
plants
need
in
order
to
be
healthy.
They
can
write
about
their
experiences
or
leave
notes
for
future
classmates,
to
share
what
they
have
learned.
Elementary
children
may
also
write
songs
or
dramatic
pieces
detailing
the
growth
or
life-cycle
of
the
garden,
to
share
with
younger
students.
They
will
learn
about
where
each
type
of
plant
comes
from,
and
how
different
cultures
traditionally
use
them.
Recipes
used (at any level) will
be
chosen
from
various
cultural
backgrounds.
Welcome to Montessori Moments, a blog written for Dynamite Montessori School in Cave Creek, Arizona. If you'd like to check out our school, please visit Dynamite's website.
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