Gross Motor Hauling dirt, compost, mulch Digging Moving plants Weeding Picking produce Health Knowledge Good/not-so-good foods Need for exercise Clean air Clean environment Clean hands & bodies Bacteria in the environment Nutrition Nutritional value of different foods Which foods are good for what parts of your body Here's what I came up with in about 10 minutes last night. LIFE Environmental Stewardship: We need to keep our water and soils clean Some plants may not be around if we don't collect and plant their seeds We need the insects We have to be careful with chemicals so that bugs, plants and people won't be hurt How to keep animals out of the garden without hurting them The natural world is important to protect Farming/Gardening Skills: How to germinate seeds How to plant, weed, cultivate, amend soil, crop rotation, etc. How to collect and store seeds Companion planting Pest control Different plant needs Self Reliance: Ability to provide food and natural products for yourself and others SCIENCE Biology Life cycle of plants, animals and insects What lives in the soil Decomposition Biomes Botany Plant physiology Common and scientific plant names Pollination Plant classifications Environmental Science Composting Reduce, reuse, recycle Environmental awareness Entemology Insect identification Insect anatomy Pests vs helpers Bug/insect classifications Meterology Weather Weather patterns Cloud formations Temperature, rainfall and wind assessments Scientific Method Predicting - What will happen if we give this one extra water? Discussing - Why do you think that is? What if we give it too MUCH water? Experimenting Discussing results Comparison to other experiments - Did the water make more of a difference or less of a difference than adding compost? Math Comparison of size, shape, color, height, weight, growth, etc. Classification of plants, insects, animals, seeds, produce, etc. Counting seeds, plants, rows, produce, rainfall amounts, etc. Economics of how much we save by growing our own food and why - shipping, labor, etc. Estimation of how much items weigh, how much water they need, how much rainfall we had, etc. Equations - If we have 4 blueberry plants on this side, and 4 blueberry plants on that side, how many do we have in all? If we have 4 rows of 4 bush beans, how many do we have in all? Graphing of temperature, rainfall, plant growth, weekly circumfrence growth of a pumpkin, etc. Measurement of rainfall, shadows, height, weight, circumference, pounds of produce, etc. Geometry - shapes in the garden, building boxes, paths, etc. Statistics - Did we get more or less beans than peas? Was it a LOT more, or a little more? If they took up the same amount of space, which one is the better producer? Which one should we plant more of next year? - YES, the one we LIKE THE MOST! Time - tracking the sun across the garden, seasons, planning, plant growth, cycles Tracking growth, production, chores PHYSICAL Fine Motor Planting seeds and plants Weeding Picking produce Collecting seed Picking up bugs Observation Awareness of even the smallest element in the environment Sensory Seeing butterflies, bees, colors, shadows, sunbeams, changing shapes Feeling the wind, the many plant textures, soil vs. clay Hearing the birds, insects, leaves rustling in the wind, mulch crunching with each step Tasting the many flavors of herbs and produce Smelling the herbs, soil, flowers, produce LANGUAGE ARTS Narration Talking about their observations, ideas, experiments Educating and advising the younger children Discussing and negotiating about chores and responsibilities Asking questions, explaining to others Reading Plant markers Seed packets Graphs, charts, instructions Vocabulary Plant names & parts Insect names & parts Gardening terminology Discussion vocabulary Writing In the dirt with sticks Drawing pictures of plants, insects, animals, ideas Plotting out the garden Observations, graphs, notations SOCIAL Negotiation What to plant Where to plant What to harvest for lunch What to do with what we harvest Who gets to do what when Patience Waiting for seeds to germinate Waiting for plants to grow Waiting for produce to mature Waiting for our turn Responsibility The garden must be watered The weeds must be pulled The produce must be collected The seeds must be collected Team Work Working with others to plant, harvest and care for the garden Work Ethic Doing your job, even if it isn't the job you wanted Working with your group, even if you would rather go play Handling your responsibilities with a good attitude ART Crafts Crafts for the garden - stepping stones, signs, totems, sculpture Crafts from materials collected from the garden Painting and drawing about the garden Colors Names of colors Comparisons of colors Color changes Light Observation of light vs. shadow Color changes in various lights Reflections Rainbows Light on different textures Movement Wiggling of a worm Nodding of a sunflower head Wind bending a tree Falling apples Floating of a butterfly Dancing through the garden Above all they learn... APPRECIATION FOR NATURE of which, they are a part. Follow Connie -'s board Plants / Garden Theme on Pinterest. Tags: preschool, garden, gardening, pre-k, home, child, children, kids, kid, daycare, care, theme, unit, math, language, science, sensory, movement, senses, five, 5 senses,