One of the author's pet projects is to demonstrate to teachers how easy it is to grow plants in the classroom. In order to create equitable schools in Ontario, teachers are mandated to honour diversity in their classrooms by celebrating a diversity of special significant days such as Ramadan, Kwansaa, Diwali and Chinese New Year. Not only does…

Community gardening provides many benefits for students like outdoor physical activity, an understanding of plant life cycles, food production and healthy eating (Blair, 2009; Whiren, 1995). Gardening also provides hands-on learning opportunities to draw parallels between what is needed for plants to grow and what students need to be healthy. When…

Raising consciousness about the environment and learning ways to care for our planet are important for all citizens of the world. Young children are particularly receptive to learning new concepts; thus the preschool years are an ideal time to teach lessons about the environment. It is often the case that the information learned when children are…

In the project presented in this article, high school students create and observe miniecosystems in an ecology unit designed around a 5E (engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation) instructional model. Students choose a wide variety of organisms and use creativity to design miniecosystems. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

The Radish Party inquiry is designed to teach the importance and relevance of soil organic matter to young students. In this investigation, students grow radishes in three different kinds of soils: sand, sand plus nutrients, and potting soil (soil that includes organic matter). The experience described here was conducted with first- and…

This book is Laurie Thorp's dirt-under-the-fingernails ethnography of four years in an elementary school garden and the ways in which this garden catalyzed cultural transformation and inspired hope, growth, and community. Filled with photographs, sketches, poetry, and journal entries, Thorp's engaging book describes the educational benefits of…

In these activities, middle school and high school students examine the threat of nonnative plant species to Hawaiian ecosystems. Students explore different viewpoints on alien plants and consider how beliefs and attitudes may affect others' decisions concerning nonnative plant species. Students also identify invasive plant characteristics and…

In many cultures, elders are revered within the extended family as a source of wisdom gained from long experience. In Western societies, this role has been marginalised by changes in family structure, and grandparents' significant contribution to children's upbringing often goes unacknowledged. A research study with families of three- to…

Examined young children's understanding of seed origins and growth preconditions and the stages of plant growth. Found that, by 4.5 years, children realized that natural causal mechanisms underlie plant growth and appreciated the relationship of seeds to plants. Results suggest that preschoolers hold theory-like understandings of plants similar to…

Exotic, captivating, and seductive, orchids have long fascinated plant lovers. They first attracted the attention of Westerners in the 17th century, when explorers brought back samples from South America and Asia. By the mid-1800s, orchid collecting had reached a fever pitch, not unlike that of the Dutch tulip craze of the 1630s, with rich (and…

The exciting world of plants may be something of a mystery to many children, and the often-dry content of a curriculum taught indoors inhibits real understanding of many complex biological processes. Moving outdoors opens up an unexplored world and presents rich opportunities for imaginative learning. The "Life processes and living…

This guide contains indoor and outdoor gardening activities for children. The activities teach children how plants live and grow; how the weather, temperature, and seasons affect all living things; how living things come out of seeds and soil; how the birds, earthworms, bees, and toads help in the garden; and how the whole environment works…

Visits to gardens can contribute not only to children's science learning, but also to meeting other curricular objectives. When school groups visit a garden, they do so with curricular objectives in mind. However, little work has been done on the early experiences of children in gardens. What do children bring to such visits? How do they interpret…

Topiary is the gardener's ancient art form in which plants are trimmed to form living sculptures. Reports the evolution of the art and the source of recent interest in the art form. (MDH)

This book aims at connecting gardening with literacy and children's literature and is designed for adults who work with children including classroom teachers, horticulturists, arboretum and botanical garden educational directors, librarians, garden center teachers, and camp counselors. It provides ideas for using children's books, language arts,…