GARDENING
RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS
Constructing a Raised Bed
There are many resources on the internet to assist in constructing a raised garden bed for the novice gardener with very little knowledge about building. Your local lumber supplier can cut the wood to size for you, eliminating the need for a circular saw. With many of these plans you will only need a drill and some time.
Be careful to purchase untreated wood to avoid chemicals in your soil and produce. There are toxin free waterproofing solutions for your garden wood that have to be reapplied every year if you would like to prolong the life of your bed.
Funding Sources
The links below will take you to several websites that can help you fund your garden project whether you are working on a school garden, library or community garden.
Constructing a Raised Bed
There are many resources on the internet to assist in constructing a raised garden bed for the novice gardener with very little knowledge about building. Your local lumber supplier can cut the wood to size for you, eliminating the need for a circular saw. With many of these plans you will only need a drill and some time.
Be careful to purchase untreated wood to avoid chemicals in your soil and produce. Another option (though
more expensive) is to build the raised garden with Cedar to naturally prevent rot.
There are toxin free waterproofing solutions available as well that can reapplied every year if you would like to prolong the life of the wood of your bed.
STEM in Gardening
Science
www.aerogrow.com/growingkids/MeasuringPlantGrowthGrades2-3.pdf
https://kidsgardening.org/lesson-plans-weather-tracking-tools/
https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/weather-log/
https://happystronghome.com/a-gardening-stem-activity-for-kids/
www.eduplace.com/marketing/expsci/pdf/166021_terrariumhabitats/act_166021_2.pd
https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/strawberry-stem-challange-growing/
Technology
https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/virtual-field-trips
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https://iearn.org/cc/space-2/group-262/about
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https://iearn.org/collaboration
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https://education.microsoft.com/skype-in-the-classroom/overview
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https://www.aoc.gov/virtual-tours/botanicgarden/tourfiles/index.html
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Engineering
http://www.ciese.org/curriculum/engineering/garden.html
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https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/usf_stormwater_lesson02_activity4
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https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_rooftop_lesson01_activity1
Math
https://growing-minds.org/lesson-plans/measurement-inch-by-inch-row-by-row/
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https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/using-pollinator-gardens-to-help-teach-math
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https://www.decodedplants.com/green-math-apply-geometry-square-foot-garden/2000
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https://garden.iam4pack.com/math-in-the-garden
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https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/garden-math-activity-measurement
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www.pbs.org/parents/adventures-in-learning/2016/07/garden-math
Wheelchair Accessible Gardens
Sensory Gardens
Adaptive Garden Tools
Whether you are interested in making the physical space of your garden wheelchair accessible or you are including more sensory elements in your garden, the links below will help you with ideas and solutions to make this possible.
Accessibility
Incorporating STEM lessons can be simple and fun, and can be adapted according to the ages of the participants. Included below are some ideas that you can use in your educational garden.
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Garden Planner
If you are unsure of where to plant what and how much space each plant will potentially need the links below will be extremely helpful in assisting you in your final garden plan.
https://growing-minds.org/lesson-plans/garden-planning/
https://farmfitliving.com/simple-vegetable-garden-layout-plans-and-spacing-tips/.
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https://www.thespruce.com/free-garden-planners-1357749
https://www.yates.com.au/garden-club/virtual-garden
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www.victoriana.com/Garden_Design/free-garden-planners.html
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https://www.online-floorplanner.com/garden-planners/3d-free
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https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/kitchen-garden-planner/kgp_home.html