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  • 1.  How do you start your school year with students?-Favorite introductory activity

    Posted 08-08-2024 03:15:00 PM

    Hi all!    I'll work with 18 different classes (grades PK-5th) the first 3 weeks of school and want to make their first experience memorable and set us up for engagement all year.

    I am curious about your favorite "first" activity of the year that introduces your classes to the garden.

    Thanks in advance for your ideas!



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    Anne Santana [Designation]
    STEM Garden Educator
    North Hi Mount Elementary
    Fort Worth, Tx
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  • 2.  RE: How do you start your school year with students?-Favorite introductory activity

    Posted 08-09-2024 11:14:00 AM

    I have 17 classes PK through 5th grade. I start the year off with a scavenger hunt so they get reacquainted with the garden.

    Ideas - shapes, colors, opposites, textures, fragrants, 

    For PK through 1st, I use pictures. 5th graders can create their own scavenger hunt, then trade hunts. 

    Leaf art is also fun. I have the young grades sort leaves by color, then we make a big "rainbow". 



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    Evelyn Margolin
    Sacramento, CA
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  • 3.  RE: How do you start your school year with students?-Favorite introductory activity

    Posted 08-09-2024 03:00:00 PM

    Hello!  I have the same issue with trying to get off to a good start. This year I will focus on 3 first grade classes.

    Here's an idea I have used:

    1. It's called Kim's game and I take a large towel and lay it on the ground.  I put a variety of different leaves, dandelion, mint, etc. on the towel, making sure the leaves are different shapes with different venations, margins, etc.  I cover that display with another towel.  This is all set up before the kids come to the garden. I have small groups of children sit in a circle around the towels and remove the top towel for a few minutes. Tell them to observe the leaves closely. Then cover the leaves again and ask the children to find ONE of each leaf that they saw.  The children love running around the garden and finding leaves from memory.  When they find their leaves they come and sit until all have had a chance.  Then we compare and can talk about the plants and the best part is that mistakes are a great way to talk about "look-a-like" plants and their observations.  That is when I introduce the rules of foraging and safety and respect in the garden.  


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    Janet Lawson
    Janet's Herbal Services
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    Original Message


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