Granny's Garden School

This page lists activities and lesson plans taught throughout the school year. For a look at how they are scheduled in each season, please review the Spring Class Schedule or the Fall Class Schedule.

First Grade Lessons	When in Our Garden Cycle
About Herbs - Students learn what herbs are and how they are used.	May
Counting and Comparing Weeds - Weeds are used to practice counting and to apply the concepts of “more” and “less”.	September
Creating a Butterfly Habitat - Students learn that butterflies require a habitat that provides nectar sources for adults and host plants for egg laying and caterpillar food and pot curly willow stems to take a host plant home.	March
Food Comes from Natural Resources - Students understand that the foods they eat are natural resources or come from natural resources before heading outside to plant warm season crops.	May
Granny's Flower Pressing Adventure - Students are welcomed back to school and the gardens with an activity to cover garden rules, preserve flowers by pressing, and pick a bouquet to take home.	August
Granny's Great Amaryllis Race - This inside winter activity uses the growth of an amaryllis bulb for students to practice measuring, recording and graphing data, and answering questions about the results.	January
Granny's Potato Patch Adventure - The potato harvest is used to learn about basic needs of the potato plant and how the environment affects having those needs met. We finish with a sampling of prepared potatoes and other fresh garden treats.	August
Harvest the Early Spring Garden - Students learn how to identify foods that are ready to harvest and the best harvest method. Students work together to harvest and clean the harvest and finish up by sampling foods they planted in March.	May
Harvest for Harvest Soup Day - The fall harvest is the basis to understand basic needs a plant requires from its environment and how seasons affect them. A sense of community is fostered when the school-wide bounty is served to students as vegetable soup in the cafeteria.	September
Packaging Seeds to Measure Weight - Students package seeds to use in the upcoming spring season following an investigation to compare weights of the same volume.	February
Planting a Salad in Early Spring - Students welcome spring by planting cool season seeds in their beds, and learn about the basic needs of seeds to grow.	March
Planting Forward in Late Spring - Students plant warm season seeds and transplants that will be harvested by the teacher's class in the following late summer term.	May
Planting Potatoes - Students plant forward in spring for the class harvest in the following late summer term, and learn about the history of potatoes as an important food crop and about the parts of a potato plant.	March/April
Putting the Gardens to Bed - Students learn about the benefits of adding compost to the garden, remove and compost plants that will not overwinter, and add compost to their beds.	October
Scavenger Hunt - Scavenger hunt clues are used to review the concepts taught in garden lessons.	May
Seed Dispersal and Collection - Seed collection is used to discuss the interdependence of plants and animals and how seasonal changes affect them.	October
Spider Web Hunt - Spider webs are the basis to practice tallying while using observation skills to find 5 different types of webs and to learn about some of the unique parts a spider has to live.	September
Tracking Animals in Spring - Students use animal and temperature observations to understand animal behavior as winter changes to spring.	March/April
Uses of Sunflowers - Students learn about the evolution of sunflowers as a resource in many industries and plant sunflower and other flower seeds in the garden.	April
What Do Garden Animals Need from Their Environment? - A hunt for garden animals helps students understand how animals rely on plants and their unique body parts to survive.	September
What Happens When You Plant a Bulb in Autumn - Students plant spring flowering bulbs and learn about their parts and seasonal stages.	October

Second Grade Lessons	When in Our Garden Cycle
Classifying Garden Animals - Students collect data about garden animals to understand sorting and classification.	April
Food Buyers and Sellers - Students understand from where their food comes by discussing sources for buying food and the kinds of jobs involved in providing food for us to buy before heading outside to plant warm season crops.	May
Granny's Flower Pressing Adventure - Students are welcomed back to school and the gardens with an activity to cover garden rules, preserve flowers by pressing, and pick a bouquet to take home.	August
Granny's Great Amaryllis Race - This inside winter activity uses the growth of an amaryllis bulb for students to practice measuring, recording and graphing data, and answering questions about the results.	January
Granny's Potato Patch Adventure - The potato harvest is used to understand that plants grow based on interaction with living and nonliving things in their environment. We finish with a sampling of prepared potatoes and other fresh garden treats.	August
Graphing Soil and Air Temperature in Spring - Students use temperature data collected in spring to create a graph and answer questions about the data.	April
Harvest the Early Spring Garden - Students learn how to identify foods that are ready to harvest and the best harvest method. Students work together to harvest and clean the harvest and finish up by sampling foods they planted in March.	May
Harvest for Harvest Soup Day - The fall harvest is the basis to understand what plants need to grow and to identify plants parts and how they use environmental resources. A sense of community is fostered when the school-wide bounty is served to students as vegetable soup in the cafeteria.	September
Living Things Cause Changes - Compost is examined to understand the parts of the compost habitat and what changes leaves into compost.	September
Planting a Salad in Early Spring - Students welcome spring by planting cool season seeds in their beds, and learn that seed germination is dependent on conditions in the seed’s habitat.	March
Planting Forward in Late Spring - Students plant warm season seeds and transplants that will be harvested by the teacher's class in the following late summer term.	May
Planting Potatoes - Students plant forward in spring for the class harvest in the following late summer term, and learn about the history of potatoes as an important food crop and about the life cycle and parts of a potato plant.	March/April
Plant Life Cycle with Seed Dispersal and Seed Collection - Students collect seeds as they discuss seasonal changes of plants and how plants and animals depend on each other for survival.	October
Propagating Forsythia - Student propagate forsythia to understand how parasitic wasps are beneficial insects that seek different food sources depending on their life cycle stage.	April
Putting the Gardens to Bed - Students understand that a compost pile is an energy source for the organisms inside and learn about the benefits of adding compost to the garden.	October
Scavenger Hunt - Scavenger hunt clues are used to review the concepts taught in garden lessons.	April
Understanding How Bulbs Grow - Students plant spring flowering bulbs and learn about the unique adaptations of bulbs.	October
Uses of Corn - Students plant sunflower and popcorn seeds and discuss the evolution of corn as a resource in many industries.	April
Using Seed Patterns to Make Predictions - Students use seeds to find an addition pattern in increasing lengths and package seeds for the upcoming spring season.	February
What's in Soil - Students examine soil samples to learn that soil forms over time from decomposing rocks, plants, and animals.	September

Third Grade Lessons	When in Our Garden Cycle
Animals in the Garden Habitat - Students understand that animals have traits that are learned and inherited that help them survive in their environment. Observations from this activity are compared to observations from the ground habitat activity to understand unique traits required in each habitat.	September
Animals in the Ground Habitat - Students understand that animals have traits that are learned and inherited that help them survive in their environment. Observations from this activity are compared to observations from the garden habitat to understand unique traits required in each habitat.	September
Are Plant Parts the Same in Different Weed Types? - Students collect data about two weed types to understand differences in the same plant part.	September
Compost Organisms - Compost is used to classify organisms and to understand the interaction and adaptations of organisms in the compost ecosystem.	April
Connecting Kids to the Community - Students use seed collecting and Granny's Seed Sharing Project to reinforce the ideas of citizenship and volunteerism in a community.	October
Do All Plants Have the Same Life Cycle? Seed collection is used to discuss the stages and differences in plant life cycles.	October
Economics of Sunflowers - Students plant sunflower and other flower seeds to discuss the path sunflowers have taken around the world to arrive at their uses today.	April
Granny's Flower Pressing Adventure - Students are welcomed back to school and the gardens with an activity to cover garden rules, preserve flowers by pressing, and pick a bouquet to take home.	August
Granny's Great Amaryllis Race - This inside winter activity uses the growth of an amaryllis bulb for students to practice measuring, recording and graphing data, and answering questions about the results.	January
Granny's Potato Patch Adventure - The potato harvest is used to understand the unique life cycle and special parts that help a potato plant grow, survive, and reproduce. We finish with a sampling of prepared potatoes and other fresh garden treats.	August
Harvest the Early Spring Garden - Students learn how to identify foods that are ready to harvest and the best harvest method. Students work together to harvest and clean the harvest and finish up by sampling foods they planted in March.	May
Harvest for Harvest Soup Day - The fall harvest is the basis to understand how plant parts use environmental resources, that plants do not have the same life cycle, and that conditions in the environment affect their life cycle. A sense of community is fostered when the school-wide bounty is served to students as vegetable soup in the cafeteria.	September
Mapping Skills in the Garden - Students create a map of a garden area to understand parts of maps and how to read them. Garden map templates: Front Courtyard Hill	September
Opportunity Cost of Backyard Gardening - Students discuss opportunity costs of gardening at home before heading outside to plant warm season crops.	May
Packaging Seeds to Investigate Weight and Capacity - Students package seeds to use in the upcoming spring season following an investigation to understand the difference between weight and capacity.	February
Planting a Salad in Early Spring - Students welcome spring by planting cool season seeds in their beds, and learn that seed germination is dependent on conditions in the seed’s habitat and what it means to garden organically.	March
Planting Potatoes - Students plant forward in spring for the class harvest in the following late summer term, and learn about the history of potatoes as an important food crop.	March/April
Propagating Mums - Students prepare transplants to take home and learn about the ways technology has influenced plant propagation.	May
Putting the Gardens to Bed - Students understand how organic material is decomposed and the benefits of organic material in soil.	October
Scavenger Hunt - Scavenger hunt clues are used to review the concepts taught in garden lessons.	May
Soil Formation - Soil samples are used to demonstrate the components of soil and to discuss the importance of soil in the growth of plants and animals.	October
Tracking Animals in Spring - Classification - Students collect information about observed animals and temperature to understand animal adaptations as winter changes to spring and how scientists classify animals.	March/April
Tracking Animals in Spring - Life Cycles - Students observe garden animals to understand metamorphosis and life stages.	May
Why is Pollination Important - Students observe and identify the parts of a flower it to understand how the parts of a flower enable the flower to make seeds through pollination and fertilization.	September

Fourth Grade Lessons	When in Our Garden Cycle
Comparing Weeds using a Venn Diagram - Weeds are used to collect data and to complete a Venn diagram about the similarities and differences of the two main categories of weeds.	September
Do All Plants Have the Same Life Cycle? - Seed collection is used to discuss plant life cycles and interdependence of plants and animals.	October
Economics of Organic Gardening - The discussion focuses on the opportunity costs of organic and conventional gardening followed by planting sunflower and other flower seeds in the garden.	April
Flower Parts and Pollination - Flower parts are examined to understand pollination and seed formation.	September
Granny's Flower Pressing Adventure - Students are welcomed back to school and the gardens with an activity to cover garden rules, preserve flowers by pressing, and pick a bouquet to take home.	August
Granny's Great Amaryllis Race - This inside winter activity uses the growth of an amaryllis bulb for students to practice measuring, recording and graphing data, and answering questions about the results.	January
Granny's Potato Patch Adventure - The potato harvest is used to explore the basic needs, parts, and seasonal changes of the potato plant. We finish with a sampling of prepared potatoes and other fresh garden treats.	August
Harvest the Early Spring Garden - Students learn how to identify foods that are ready to harvest and the best harvest method. Students work together to harvest and clean the harvest and finish up by sampling foods they planted in March.	May
Harvest for Harvest Soup Day - The fall harvest is the basis to identify the parts of a plant and their function and to classify fruits and vegetables by botanical definition. A sense of community is fostered when the school-wide bounty is served to students as vegetable soup in the cafeteria.	September
How are Plants Propagated - Students plant cool season transplants following a discussion of how plants are propagated - naturally, with help from humans to select the most desirable traits, and in laboratories to modify the genetic makeup of plant cells.	March
Packaging Seeds to Investigate Mass, Weight, and Volume - Students package seeds to use in the upcoming spring season following an investigation to understand the difference between mass, weight, and volume.	February
Planting a Salad in Early Spring - Students welcome spring by planting cool season seeds in their beds, and learn that plants have unique life cycles and conditions for seed germination that are linked to soil temperature.	March/April
Planting Potatoes - Students plant forward in spring for the class harvest in the following late summer term, and learn about the history of potatoes as an important food crop and about the life cycle and parts of a potato plant.	March/April
Productive Resources in Granny's Gardens - Students apply their understanding of productive resources to creating and sustaining Granny’s Garden School before heading outside to plant warm season crops.	May
Putting the Gardens to Bed - Students understand how the process of decomposition impacts the Earth’s surface, and learn about the benefits of adding compost to the garden.	October
Tracking Weather in Spring - Students use weather instruments in our outdoor weather station to take readings and understand what they mean. Students record weather, temperature, plant, and garden animal observations to understand the impact of weather conditions on plants and animals as winter changes to spring.	April
Tree Identification Using a Dichotomous Key - Students use a dichotomous key to identify trees and to understand the basics of how plants are classified.	October
Understanding How Bulbs Grow - Students plant garlic and learn about the unique adaptations of bulbs and garlic.	October
Weather Forecasting - Students graph temperatures taken in the spring and use weather instruments to understand forecasting and to reach conclusions about spring weather.	April
What Flower Colors Attract the Most Organisms - Plants and animals are used by students to set up an experiment using the scientific method and to determine if their method and results are reliable.	September
What is Biodiversity - Students discuss the concept of biodiversity to understand why variety in plant and animal species is desired followed by planting sunflower and popcorn seeds.	April
Kindergarten	When in Our Garden Cycle
Planting Bulbs - Students plant spring flowering bulbs to understand the seasonal life cycle of a bulb.	October
Planting Sunflowers to Celebrate Earth Day - Students plant sunflower seeds to discuss what Earth Day represents, talk about ways to reduce waste, and learn about the life cycle of sunflowers.	April
Animals Cause Changes - Students examine compost to explore how animals slowly change leaves into compost.	May

Granny's Nature Trail

Activities for First Grade

Fall Shape Walk - Shapes are used to focus student observations as you discuss changes in living things as summer turns to fall and fall turns to winter. Shape walk shapes - Courtesy of Cincinnati Nature Center - A template of shapes for students to carry or wear on yarn necklaces to match with items observed on the trail. Pre-cut shapes are available for sign out in the barn.

Patterns in Nature - Students will explore the nature trail to find patterns in natural items and discuss why patterns are useful.

Activities for Second Grade

Evidence of Forest Changes - Students find evidence of living things that cause changes in a forest.

Food Chains - A nature walk is used to to discuss the flow of energy through food chains and food webs.

Activities for Third Grade

Decomposition, Erosion, and Deposition - Students take a nature walk to record observations of processes that shape the surface of the Earth.

Evidence of Survival Traits in a Forest - Students understand some of the survival traits unique to plants and animals in a forest.

Activities for Fourth Grade

Creating a Geographical Map - Students take a nature walk to map locations of decomposition, deposition, erosion, and forest succession stages.

Interrelationships of Plants and Animals - Students examine three mini-habitats on the nature trail to demonstrate that a healthy ecosystem has a variety of plants and animals that interact to keep the system in balance.

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson

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