Homeschool Garden Unit Study + Journal (and a book list!)

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Gardening is such an experience of the mind, heart, and senses, and I am here to encourage you that there are big and small ways to teach your children through the experience of a garden project. We have accomplished this in the simplest of forms from seedlings in Ziploc baggies + baby sprouts, to 1/2 our entire yard converted to garden space. In other words, we have progressed through the years. Though there have been some years we simply got our hands dirty, it was still fun, educational, and assuredly worth the experience!

With the above in mind, we are delighted to share our FREE (for a limited time) Garden Unit Study + Journal. It has everything you need to work towards a simple garden/seed study, plus tools for encouragement and growth in the actual discipline of gardening including a plot planner, watering schedule, garden chore chart, daily log, plant profile, and even garden markers. This bundle comes from our experiences and needs as we have progressed from simple seed study to large profile raised beds, soil study, and companion planting.

This Garden Unit Study is most suitable for preschool and elementary age kids, but our accompanied journal, chore chart and logs are fitting for all ages. You can make it what you desire. My concise advice on gardening with kids is to set your pace and be willing to let 'failure' truly be what it should be - a learning experience. Gardenig is a science with many variables. It can feel intimidating otherwise, but gardening in its fruitful place is a place where the imagination can dig deep, find such curiosity and bountiful endeavors to fuel years of study and engagement for the betterment of your students and their community as a whole. There are so many lessons to learn among growing things that go beyond the science of plants- even to the heart. If you allow your students to find joy in the discipline AND discovery (which includes failures - even ones you can see, but choose not to correct for the sake of the learner's discovery), everyone will benefit and progress year after year. It's a journey not a race, as we all learn to grow where we are planted and dig deep into discovery! (Click here to learn more about our Growth Groups, where we encourage girls in our community to “Grow Where You Are Planted.”)

Scroll down to peek at our bundle + reading list, but otherwise continue reading to see our past progression + present or future goals specified per age group, and find where you might want to begin or take root, so to speak.

Preschool

1. Seed study - I recommend the Ziploc bag root study even if you plan on planting seedlings. It is truly fascinating for preschoolers to see the progression. (Download our Garden Unit Study for instructions.)

2. Read alouds (Scroll down to see our book-list!)

3. Window sill seedlings and/or chia sprout activity

4. 4 x 4 square foot garden or garden sensory play (Easy plants: lettuce, bush beans, onions, garlic, radishes, tomatoes)

5. Water Schedule

Elementary

1. Seed + plant studies

2. Read alouds & research (Scroll down to see our book-list!)

3. Prep + Plan + Build

4. Window sill seedlings + Experimentation

5. 4 x 4 square foot garden or larger, such as a 10 x 3

6. Garden Journal + Log (Included in our Garden Unit Study + Journal)

7. Garden up-keep, chores, watering schedule

8. Dissection such as worm, grasshopper, and frog

9. Soil Study such as PH

10. Community garden project

Highschool

1. Concentrated botany, plant science and field study

2. Themed chapter books, higher level modules/curriculum & targeted research

3. Prep + Plan + Build

4. Seedling care + experimentation

5. 4 x 4 sq ft garden or larger, potential to expand to more beds

6. Garden Journal + Log (Included in our Garden Unit Study + Journal)

7. Garden up-keep, chores, watering schedule

8. Dissection

9. Soil study and experiments

10. Community garden project initiative

11. Local farmers market participation

12. Local nursery or farm internship

Let us know what you may want to see in 2nd edition or expanded version, and PLEASE send us pictures and/or tag us when you put these tools to use. We'd love to see your little green thumbs in action! (Don’t forget to check out book list below!)

Andea Beims

Check Our Garden Book List!

Bugs and Butterflies by Emily Bone

Peek Inside the Garden by Sam Taplin

Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden

Why Do We Need Bees? by Emily Bone

Bugs for Lunch by Margery Facklam

100 Things to Know About Food by Alex Firth

Hello Nature by Nina Chakrabarki

Bug Dictionary by Jill Bailey

Secrets of the Vegetable Garden by Carron Brown

How Do Flowers Grow? by Katie Daynes

Fun with Nature Take-Along Guide by Diane L. Burns, Mel Boring, and Leslie Dendy

The Wild Garden by Felicity Brooks

Too Many Tomatoes by Eric Ode

Wild Flowers by Angela Royston

It All Starts With a Seed by Emily Bone

Food Anatomy by Julia Rothman

Farm Anatomy by Julia Rothman

A Beatrix Potter Treasury by Beatrix Potter

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

CREDITS:

Author - Andea Beims HIVEhome Founder + Curator

Photos + Photo Editing by HIVEhome team-member + Honey in the HIVE - Jessica Collins of https://jessicacollins.photography.

Printable + Editing + Publishing by HIVEhome team-member + Honey in the HIVE - Andrea Haney.

Styling + Photos by HIVEhome intern - Nevaeh Beims

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