OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to label months according to the actions that we take in the garden. Students will be able to number the days in the month. Students will understand the growing cycle.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How do we plan a garden? When do our plants grow?

MATERIALS NEEDED

12 blank calendar months and a cover page bound for each student Writing utensils
Larger calendar for display
Farmers Almanac (optional)

PROCEDURE

Introduction:
As we approach the end of the year, we are now thinking ahead to next year.
a. Ask students what happens after Dec. 31st
b. What year will it be? How many months are in the year? How many
days?
We work together all year long – in the garden, in the greenhouse – and there are so many different types of things we do together. We are going to make a list together of the different verbs or actions we take in the garden/greenhouse throughout the year. You will use these verbs to create descriptions of each month. These descriptions will help you create illustrations for each month of the year, which we will use in our Garden Calendars.

Activity 1: Garden Pantomime (30 mins)
To make this list, we will do a pantomime. Choose a student to come to the center of the room, and ask them to act out something we do in the garden.
Ask the other children to raise their hand if they think they know what action the student in the center is acting out. Whoever guesses correctly will get to act out the next action (or choose someone else in the class). Teacher can scribe the different actions students name on a notepad, to keep for future reference for students.

Activity 2: Garden Calendar (30 mins)

1. Students label the months on their printed templates.
2. Students write in all the numbers of days of each month. To do this, it is helpful to write on the board the information for each month (ie January has 31 days, and starts on a Monday).
3. Students draft full sentences about something we do together during that month in the garden/greenhouse using list of garden verbs on a separate piece of paper.
4. On the top of the page for each month, students write their full sentences.
5. Students illustrate that garden activity.
   Wrap up/ Assessment:
   Students write full sentences using garden verbs for each month.
   Students demonstrate the steps to making our garden calendar, and the importance of the garden calendar.

FOLLOW UP & EXTENSIONS

Throughout the year, students will keep track of when we plant, transplant, harvest, etc., and write these on their calendars. This is a great wrap-up activity after students have completed a task in the garden or greenhouse. This can also be an independent activity students may work on throughout the school year.
Students can create a key for different tasks that repeat (ie “harvest”, “plant”, etc.) and use those symbols on their calendars.
Students may use the Farmers Almanac to include other elements, including moon phases, holidays, etc. on their calendars.
Students will take the calendars home at the end of the year. They are encouraged to use these calendars as a guide to know what is happening in the garden during the summer months, and to remind them when their gardens will be ready for harvesting in the fall.