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Our Learning Garden - Kindergarten Lesson 1-6
“Using Paper in our Garden”
Lesson Summary- Kindergarten students learn about diversity in the plant / tree world
with interactive exercises and activities (Cluster1)
• The concept of colors and classification is practiced in activities of observing and
sorting seeds. Students can classify seeds by color, shape, edibles and size. (Cluster 2)
• Cluster 3-Students use the Potmaker (included in the kits) to design paper seedling
pots.
Critical thinking and observation skills are developed when experimenting with the various
materials to determine what is the best paper material to use for making potmakers
• This reinforced by planting sunflower seeds and observing what materials work best
• Students water and care for sunflower greens and they can harvest them to eat
• The lesson can continue in late May by planting sunflower outside or in a greenhouse
using the potmakers.
• Students can count the number of potmakers they make and sort them by color and
softness / strength of material
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CLASS FUNDRAISER- You can sell the paper pots as a fundraiser during the spring
season
• All lesson plans and related files for download - ourlearninggarden.ca
• FILES ARE OPEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHANGE THEM AS YOU WISH
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Lesson 1-Specific Learning Outcomes.
In Kindergarten, an investigation of trees capitalizes on students'
curiosity about the world around them. Our lesson engages
the students with activities that allow them to examine the
tallest tree and smallest flowering plant as well as the oldest
trees.
These activities help students understand the trees (plant
kingdom) as living entities with great diversity .
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• Learning Outcomes
• GLO: C2, D1 Kindergarten, Cluster 2: Color Sort
and classify objects by color
The lessons and activities in lesson plans 2 and 3 are designed to teach
kindergarten students to sort and classify seeds by color. Students also
learn about the diversity of seeds and that the brightly colored edible
seeds / foods are usually the healthiest. Utilizing critical thinking students
can develop the foundations for understanding the relationship between
color in nature and healthy natural food.
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Cluster 3 Paper -Specific Learning Outcomes
Lesson plan 4 is cross curricular as the students make environmentally friendly paper pots with the PotMaker. The
students use recycled newspaper to make pots that are used to grow sunflower greens.
This activity meets the overview for Cluster 3 Paper- By identifying, describing, and manipulating different kinds of
paper and paper products found in the classroom, students are introduced to the concept of characteristics of
materials. Hands-on investigations allow students to determine how well different kinds of paper can be cut, torn,
and folded, and how these characteristics help to determine their uses. This study of paper culminates in students
developing their design process skills by constructing a paper product for a particular use.
K-3-06 Explore to determine an appropriate kind of
paper for a particular task.
Examples: paper towels are useful for soaking up
spills...
GLO: B1, C3
K-3-07 Use the design process to construct a paper
product for a particular use.
Examples: paper cup, envelope, paper mat, box...
GLO: C
Students can count the number of potmakers they make.
Sort them by color and softness / strength of material
Critical thinking and observation skills are developed when experimenting with the various materials to determine
what is the best paper material to use for making potmakers
This reinforced by planting sunflower seeds and observing what materials work best
The lesson can continue in late May by planting sunflower outside or in a greenhouse using the potmakers.
Newspapers potmakers degrade easily into the soil.
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Lesson Plan 5 involves many of the skill sets and learning outcomes that students
need to develop in Cluster 1, 2 and 3.
It culminates with growing indoors sunflower greens that the students harvest
and eat.
The paper pot holders that the students make are an important part of the
activity.
This activity seamlessly integrates into other gardening activities
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Kindergarten Kit Contents
Lesson Plan 1- None required
Lesson Plan 2 – A wide assortment of seeds that students can
sort based on many criteria, size, shape, edible, and or for
planting
Lesson Plan 3 - None required
Lesson Plan 4
Requires Potmaker available from Lee Valley and Richters.com
Google-“Potmaker”
Various type of paper, soft Kleenex, toilet paper, newspaper,
bond paper, these should all be readily available in the
classroom.
Lesson Plan 5 – Sunflower seeds, soil, bowl to soak seeds,
pots to grow seeds in, light to place planted sunflower seeds
in pots under
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Lesson 1Kindergarten, Cluster 1: Trees
Lesson has activities and images that illustrate the diversity of trees and the plant world.
One of the activities in the playground or gymnasium gives students an indication of the
height of tall trees.
The exercise of drawing a tree and plant together is to help students understand the
concept of scale
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Plants come in many shapes and sizes.
Tall tree just as tall as the building
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Small Plant
Sprinkles
Photograph by Christian Fischer.
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How tall is that tree?
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Go outside into the field and have the class form
a line that is 100 meters long
Have each student then run the 100 meters to get
an idea of the distance and height in relation to
the tree
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Oldest Tree-4000 Years Old
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4000 Years is a long time
A long bridge
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Trees live for more than 2 years.
Plants live a short time
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Draw a vegetable plant and tree together.
Remember to draw the roots
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Lesson 2
Kindergarten, Cluster 2: Colours
Students learn to classify seeds by color and shape.
The students learn to further classify seeds by “seeds you can eat” and “seeds
you can plant”. Students learn that we can eat and plant most seeds.
One of the objectives is for students to learn that seeds come from gardens
and they are very healthy to eat.
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SEEDS
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SEEDS
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• Sort the seeds by color
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• Sort the seeds by shape
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• Sort the seeds we eat
• Sort the seeds we plant
• Sort the seeds we can eat and plant
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Find the Black Sunflower Seeds
Save them as we will be planting these seeds soon
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MANY SEEDS WE CAN EAT AND PLANT
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Do you eat seeds?
Can you draw your favorite seed?
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Lots of food are seeds from the garden.
They are good for you to eat
Healthy food
From the garden.
They are plain and simple
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Can you draw some seeds you eat?
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Lesson Plan 3
In Lesson 3 we continue the theme of healthy food comes from plants in
the garden. In cluster 1 students would have learned about the role of
leaves in trees. The concept is expanded as we explore the leaves that
students eat from the plant world
Students also explore flowers that we can eat
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Food from the garden is healthy
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Do You like eating leaves?
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Lettuce is a leaf
Can you draw a leaf?
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Can you eat the flower of the plant?
Broccoli and cauliflowers are flowers
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Lesson 4
Cluster 3: Paper
This activity meets many of the required Cluster 3 Paper –
Specific Learning Outcomes
The PotMaker is an very simple device that all students can make biodegradable
plant pots from newspaper.
Using strips from newspaper and other paper materials students can experiment
and observe what paper products work and why
Students can classify and sort the paper pots by color and material.
You can expand the lesson by explaining why the paper pot holders are good for
mother earth compared to plastic.
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It is easy
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Very easy
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Can you make a pot for a plant with
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Can you make a pot for a plant with
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Can you make a pot for a plant with
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Can you make a pot for a plant with
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What paper works best for paper pots?
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Plastic Litter Stays
Newspaper becomes part of the soil
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Lesson 5
Students get the opportunity to use the pot makers to grow sunflower greens
, harvest and eat them.
We reinforce many of the outcomes in the previous lessons. The sunflower
green is a leaf, so they learn about another healthy leaf to eat.
Students can record and observe the results of how different types of paper
work as pot holders.
Student observe phases of plant growth and care.
Student can start a variety of plant indoors in the pot holder for planting in
school or home garden.
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Teachers Notes
Try grow some sunflower greens in the paper pots the class made.
Show the class the video “my Sunflower Time Lapse” –download video from
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Instructions for Growing Sunflower Greens CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
1) Soak the seeds in cool water for 12-24 hours. Use the solid black seeds
2) Rinse the seeds before planting
3) Put the soil into the paper pot planter that the students make
4) Put 2 seeds in the planter
5) Cover the seeds with 2 centimeters of soil
6) Water well (mix a fertilizer in the water)
7) Put under a light (preferably a grow light)
8) Keep the soil moist
9) In about 7-10 days you should have sunflower greens
10) Cut when 2 leaves are on plant
11) Rinse and eat
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• Why is it named a
sunflower?
• With their big,
bright,
yellow petals,
sunflowers look
like the sun!
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Photograph by Fir0002, flagstaffotos.com.au
Click to advance to next
Go to File Folder Videos“My Sunflower time lapse”
Link to video
Teachers Notes
The following slides are to let the students compare and observe classroom planted
sunflowers to the PowerPoint slides
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Lettuce is a leaf
Sunflower Greens
LEAF
LEAF
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Try eating some plain, in soup or on a sandwich.
REMEMBER TO GET YOUR TEACHER TO RINSE THEM!
Sunflower Greens taste great and are very healthy!
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Enhanced Learning Section-Lesson 6
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