Michigan Agriscience Education
For Elementary Students
Grades 3-4
Use a Garden to Teach Math
BASIC AGRICULTURAL CONCEPTS:
Students will be able to recognize some of the difficult decisions farmers must
address before planting a crop, affects of nature while growing the crops, and how
farming can be a gamble of choices.
OUTCOMES:
This game will offer practice problem solving including fractions, planning ahead,
basic computations, and time.
MATERIALS:
- Play money
- Plot sheets
- Posters with market prices for each season—teacher created
- Poster with seed prices—included in this packet
- Difficulty of prices and problems can be adjusted easily
PRE-LAB:
Give students a grocery store advertisement. Allow them to look over the prices
of produce and determine how much money they think the farmer made off of
those crops.
PROCEDURE:
1. Spend a class period discussing what the costs of a trip to Disney World would
actually be. Would it be worth it to earn an extra $100 for the trip?
2. You might want to check out or buy a video about Disney World to add
motivation to the game.
3. Be sure to take time to explain the rules—maybe even have a practice round. If
some students seem frustrated put them in pairs until they are comfortable with
the game.
4. You have wanted to go to Disney World. Your parents say they will take you, but
you must earn part of the money. When you have earned $100, you may go. You
decide that to earn the money you will raise a garden.
5. Your dad and mom say they will give $5 for seed so you can get started.
6. You will get three chances to ear your $100 for each game. You can plant a
spring, summer and fall garden.
7. You must work hard, consider your space, money, demand, and weather for the
season you are planning for.
8. You have one plot of land free, but you can rent additional plots for $2 per year.
9. You do not have to spend all your money—you may save.
10. Handout a free land plot to each student or group. Each plot has 4 sections to
plant. You may choose four different vegetables or plant all the same.
11. Now look at the seed costs and amount chart—choose what you want to plant in
each section.
12. Fill in each section with amount and costs.
13. When all have completed calculations—show them the spring returns you have
on a poster or overhead sheet. From the prices, they will figure their profits.
14. Repeat for summer and fall—total their profits for the year. The person or
team closest to $100 is the winner for that game. I have little Disney World prizes
to give out.
15. This doesn’t take that long to play after they catch on.
CLOSURE:
Of course, each student or group will do his own math computation. It is also
important to discuss why some crops were successful and why some failed after
planting.
Is it easy to make money?
Is it wiser to plant inexpensive crops?
What affects the production of crops?
What affects the price of crops?
What affects the price of crops on the market?
If a person goes broke is there any alternative? You may want to set up for bank
loans, etc.
How is farming like gambling?
If you earned more than $100, what can be done with the extra money?
The teacher may create droughts, storms, market failures, early frosts, or late
snow storms to prove the point of how unpredictable farming can be. Be sure to
have an ample supply of garden plots available. A class of 20 may use up to 150 plot
sheets. Be sure your students don’t see the return prices before they plant. Be
sure to have enough play money, the kids get so excited with a handful of cash. The
kids get better at this game each round and beg to play more. Don’t get too carried
away with droughts, frosts, etc.
ASSESSMENT:
Observe students to see that they begin to reach the goal of $100 or get closer as
they play the game more. They do begin to understand such concepts as planting
less expensive crops in mass and planting according to the season or demand.
REFERENCES:
“The Good Apple Math Book” by Gary Grimm and Don Mitchell, 1975. Good
Inc.
Apple,
Handout 1
Seed Costs Per Package
Radishes: $0.25 (per ¼ section)
Pumpkins: $0.15
Lettuce: $0.40
Carrots: $0.40
Tomatoes: $0.40 per plant – Allow 3 plants per section
Green Peppers: $0.50 per plant – Allow 3 plants per section
Cabbage: $0.25 per plant – Allow 5 plants per section
Green Onions: $1.00 per bundle – Allow 1 bundle per section
Green Beans: $0.25 per package
Each package of seeds should fill one section of your lot.
Remember:
Each lot = 4 sections
You get one free lot and may purchase more lots at $2.00 each.
Handout 2
Crop Returns
Crop
Radishes
Lettuce
Carrots
Tomatoes
Beets
Green Peppers
Pumpkins
Green Beans
Cabbage
Green Onions
Spring Return
$1.00
$1.50
$.00
$2.50
$.40
$3.20
$3.20
$1.15
$3.00
$3.80
Summer Return
$1.00
$.00
$1.20
$3.05
$1.20
$3.60
$3.20
$1.25
$.00
$3.40
Fall Return
$1.00
$2.10
$1.00
$.00
$1.90
$4.50
$.80
$1.40
$3.50
$4.00
The returns are per ¼ plot. If a student planted ¼ onions, ¼ beets, and 2/4 lettuce
the return would be $3.80 + $0.40 + $3.00 (2x $1.50) for a total of $7.20.
Handout 3
Your Free Land
Section #1:
Section #2:
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Section #3:
Section #4:
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Teacher’s note: Each student gets one of these free each planting.
Handout 4
Plots for Sale
$2.00
Section #1:
Section #2:
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Section #3:
Section #4:
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
Item Planted: _______________
Cost:
_______________
Return:
_______________
Profit:
_______________
* Original can be found at Kansas Ag in the Classroom, www.ksagclassroom.org