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Resources
Tangible Resources
Site plan of the school grounds, signs to mark the plants to be sown, compost from the farm, seeds of different plants/tubers, soil (it is advisable to obtain soil that will favour the growth of the plants and will be free from pollution), agrotextile (if required), basic gardening tools for sowing seeds, ready-made vegetable beds or boards to prepare the vegetable beds.
Preparation
Print out site plan (a Google Earth view works well), prepare the equipment.
Goals, messages & concepts
Specific goals
- To recognise the requirements for growing food crops (the ability to understand and apply seed instruction labels).
- To understand what factors should be taken into account when setting up a vegetable garden.
- With long-term observation – students will become increasingly aware of the length of the plant growth process and the need for maintenance to produce food.
Specific messages
- A successful garden should be planned.
- It is effective to allocate duties to different people when working as a team.
- Specific habitat conditions are required for plant growth.
Main terms
- site plan
- orientation
- prevailing winds
- soil conditions
- habitat
Practices & skills
STEM practices
- Constructing explanations and designing solutions
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
Soft skills
- Dealing with uncertainty
- Learning failure is a part of learning
- Teamwork and collaboration
Management skills
- Planning
- Use of resources
Course of activity
step 1
Working in groups, use the plan of the school to identify the optimal place for vegetable beds.
step 2
Students will assess the soil, decide on the need to use compost (students may decide to sow the same seeds in vegetable beds with compost and without compost to see what happens).
step 3
Students will familiarise themselves with the instructions on the packaging of seed, mark out flower beds, sow and water.
step 4
Students will label the sown material and share the care responsibilities for the seeds.
step 5
Document the activity using photographs.