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Botany on Your Plate

The National Gardening Association is excited to announce a new publication, Botany on Your Plate. Written by education staff at The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley, this science unit for grades K-4 inspires fascination for and exploration of the structure, function, and flavors of the plants we eat. This month we introduce you to the curriculum and provide a sample lesson. Plus we offer links to lots of other resources to help you take your investigations further.


Background and Lessons

Exploring Botany on Your Plate – Learn more about this curriculum that engages the whole learner. A review of the effectiveness study results shows that this approach works.

Sample Lesson from Botany on Your Plate: Seeds – Students taste, dissect, analyze, and perform experiments with seeds.

Lesson: Grocery Store Botany – In this activity from Kidsgardening.org, students take on the role of botanists as they classify items from the produce department.


Additional Botany Resources

Activities
Grouping Garden Plants
Eat a Rainbow
Edible Landscaping in the Schoolyard
Plant Parts Rap
The Great Plant Escape

Web Sites

Smithsonian Botany and Horticulture
Science Daily Botany News


What's New?

Homegrown Nutrition for an Urban Community – We followed up with Beardsley Community Farm, a 2007 Mantis Award winner, and share this story of their exemplary programs.

Evaluation Summary of 2007 Grant Winners – Need some numbers to make the case for your garden program? These data from NGA grant recipients tell the story.

Visit our Kids Garden News page to find out about funding opportunities, gardening resources, professional development, and more.

Find Fruitful Classroom Exchanges

Connect your students with classrooms who garden in another hemisphere, or find garden buddies close by that you didn't know were there! There are many e-mail pals listed in our School Garden Registry. Below are some highlights:

Croydon West Primary School (Australia) - These K-8 students from down under tend gardens, compost, and chickens. They're eager to swap photos, stories, and ideas.

S.U. Botijas #1 (Puerto Rico) - Students in grades 6-9 have a patio garden and also work on the school farm, improving habitats for animals and people! They'd love to trade photos!

Renaissance High School (CA) – Through a holistic approach, students study gardening and nutrition as well as the wider concepts of agroecology and the politics of food. They're seeking peer collaborators.

University Park Elementary (CO) - These K-8 students are looking for e-mail pals who also garden in the Rocky Mountain/Southwest region for swapping of data, seeds, and stories.

Tilthy Rich (Ontario) - This group of physically challenged kids uses adaptive gardening techniques. They'd like to swap photos, seeds, data, ideas, and experiences with others.

Johnson Elementary (AZ) - Students at this school enjoy a mobile "storybook garden" and worm composting. They're eager to share seeds, ideas, and experiences.

Elmont Elementary (VA) - They've been gardening for 13 years and have many theme and habitat gardens. Students would like to exchange seeds, pictures, and experimental data.

If your garden or habitat is not already represented in this international database, register it now!

 

 
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Fundraise with Flower Bulbs: Earn 50% Profit Looking for a "healthy" and alluring option for raising funds for your school? NGA endorses the Flower Power Program. It features easy-to-grow spring-flowering bulbs and is a good deal to boot; your school gets to keep 50% of the profits. Click here to learn more.



More Garden Activities
and Lessons

Seeds Feed the World
These precious packages have the potential to produce plant life and to sustain human life. Discover the fascinating history of people/seed partnerships and find ideas for classroom investigations. Click here to download a .pdf version.

Seeds! The Promise of Life
Discover how these minuscule miracles can inspire your classroom gardeners and scientists. Click here to download a .pdf version.

Plant-Insect Interactions
Thematic classroom stories, standards- based project ideas, how-to advice, and resources. Click here.

Our Favorite Kids' Fiction Books
An annotated list to inspire imaginations and garden projects

 

Digging Deeper Search
© 2007 National Gardening Association
www.garden.org, www.kidsgardening.com