Growing Together: Open Forum

Please share your inclement weather day gardening ideas. What do you do when the weather unexpectedly keeps you inside? How do you readjust at the last minute? Do you have a favorite activities or resources that you draw on?

I'll go first... I like to save a book in my back pocket for a rainy day. My favorite is read aloud is a picture book called Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story. After reading the kids take their existing garden journals (though you could make a quick one easily in class by folding and stapling a few sheets of paper together) and rotate around the classroom observing and drawing nature items that I've set out for them to see. You can wrap up with the Sci Show Kids video Be a Field Scientist (3 minutes long) to occupy the kids while you do a quick classroom clean up.

Please share your ideas on what to do when weather keeps you from going outside!

Please share your inclement weather day gardening ideas. What do you do when the weather unexpectedly keeps you inside? How do you readjust at the last minute? Do you have a favorite activities or resources that you draw on?

I'll go first... I like to save a book in my back pocket for a rainy day. My favorite is read aloud is a picture book called Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story. After reading the kids take their existing garden journals (though you could make a quick one easily in class by folding and stapling a few sheets of paper together) and rotate around the classroom observing and drawing nature items that I've set out for them to see. You can wrap up with the Sci Show Kids video Be a Field Scientist (3 minutes long) to occupy the kids while you do a quick classroom clean up.

Please share your ideas on what to do when weather keeps you from going outside!

Hi Lara,

Great subject to get ideas from other folks!  I run a program, The TeaProject which is herbalism, gardening and SEL skills.  So, I can always 

switch to the mindfulness/SEL lessons.  But this spring when daffodils had exploded in my yard I harvested about 80 flowers for the 3 classes of 1st graders.

I took a handout of the anatomy of a flower.  We had been talking about pollinators so this was a natural activity to dive into a little deeper.  Each child got a flower

and the handout was put on the white board.  The children dissected the flower and found the different parts.  They copied the names of the parts and drew

them in their Nature Journals.  They actually talk about this lesson now when we are in the garden and "got" the whole pollination concept.  I brought bee pollen

into the classroom and kids could try it with their tea. It opened up a very interesting conversation!

Please share your inclement weather day gardening ideas. What do you do when the weather unexpectedly keeps you inside? How do you readjust at the last minute? Do you have a favorite activities or resources that you draw on?

I'll go first... I like to save a book in my back pocket for a rainy day. My favorite is read aloud is a picture book called Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story. After reading the kids take their existing garden journals (though you could make a quick one easily in class by folding and stapling a few sheets of paper together) and rotate around the classroom observing and drawing nature items that I've set out for them to see. You can wrap up with the Sci Show Kids video Be a Field Scientist (3 minutes long) to occupy the kids while you do a quick classroom clean up.

Please share your ideas on what to do when weather keeps you from going outside!

Please share your inclement weather day gardening ideas. What do you do when the weather unexpectedly keeps you inside? How do you readjust at the last minute? Do you have a favorite activities or resources that you draw on?

I'll go first... I like to save a book in my back pocket for a rainy day. My favorite is read aloud is a picture book called Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story. After reading the kids take their existing garden journals (though you could make a quick one easily in class by folding and stapling a few sheets of paper together) and rotate around the classroom observing and drawing nature items that I've set out for them to see. You can wrap up with the Sci Show Kids video Be a Field Scientist (3 minutes long) to occupy the kids while you do a quick classroom clean up.

Please share your ideas on what to do when weather keeps you from going outside!

Please share your inclement weather day gardening ideas. What do you do when the weather unexpectedly keeps you inside? How do you readjust at the last minute? Do you have a favorite activities or resources that you draw on?

I'll go first... I like to save a book in my back pocket for a rainy day. My favorite is read aloud is a picture book called Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story. After reading the kids take their existing garden journals (though you could make a quick one easily in class by folding and stapling a few sheets of paper together) and rotate around the classroom observing and drawing nature items that I've set out for them to see. You can wrap up with the Sci Show Kids video Be a Field Scientist (3 minutes long) to occupy the kids while you do a quick classroom clean up.

Please share your ideas on what to do when weather keeps you from going outside!