Moon Gardening
OBJECTIVE
Students will understand the connection between the lunar cycle and the plants in the school garden.
Students will be able to observe the phases of the moon, and recognize the ideal times for various garden tasks.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How is the moon connected to the garden?
MATERIALS NEEDED
Journals
Materials for making moon calendars: card stock, pins, colored pencils, scissors
Worksheet- Moon Phases and Parts of Plants
PROCEDURE
Introduction:
Ask students, “What do you know about the moon?”
Begin to create a Venn Diagram, filling in one of the circles.
Next, ask, “What do we do in the garden?”
Fill in the other circle.
“Now, do you think there is anything that might connect these two?”
Explain that over the course of this unit we are going to do a series of experiments that will help us understand whether or not the moon phases affect plants in our garden.
Activity 1: Seed, Root Flower Fruit
First, invite students to play the game “Seed, Root, Flower, Fruit” for a few minutes. Introduce the game by drawing a parallel between the seed life cycle and the moon cycle!
End the game by asking students to freeze in place, at whatever stage they might find themselves in. Ask the students, “If this is the seed life cycle, how do we know when to eat?! Do we only eat seeds? Do we only eat roots? Flowers? Fruits? Or all of them?”
Guide students through thinking about what kinds of plants grow for: seeds; roots; leaves; flowers; fruits. Walk over to a “seed” – “What kinds of plants do we grow for seeds?”, then do the same for each of the other phases of the seed life cycle.
Invite students back to their desks. On the board, write four columns: seed/fruit, root, leaf, flower (explain why seed and fruit are joined together, define what a fruit is), and ask for examples of foods in each column.
Wrap-Up/Assessment:
Students complete the worksheet, “We eat ALL parts of plants”
Activity 2: Making Moon Planting Calendars
(Refer to: http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/phases.html for background information)
Ask students to guide you through the phases of the moon. As they explain each phase, draw an image of that moon and the phase on the board, in quadrants.
Invite students to share what they know about other things the moon might affect: tides, moods, sleep, energy, etc. Ask if a student can explain why there are tides (if not, you can explain.) Then explain that the moon affects everything around us, including the plants in our garden. In the same way the full moon creates high tides, it also brings water closer to the surface of the soil! How can that affect plants? More water for plants to germinate, and more water for plants to grow!
So, a long time ago when scientists discovered the effects of the moon, they began creating moon calendars, which help us know what types of things we should do during the different phases of the moon. Today, we are going to create our own moon calendars to help us know what to do in the garden during the different phases of the moon!
Using the Moon Calendar as a guide, students will design their own moon calendar. First go through the Moon Calendar, pointing out the phases of the moon, the number of days in a full moon cycle, and the design of the calendar. Ask students, “What shape is this calendar?”, “What does it remind you of?”, “Can you find the full moon? The new moon? Waxing crescent? Waning gibbous?”, “Where is it waxing? Where is it waning?”
Then, explore the activities that are done in each quarter of the moon cycle. Refer to the Moon Calendar or
Making their own Moon Calendar:
- Hand out a piece of card stock or construction paper to each student.
- Next hand out the “Moon Calendar Template”, and ask students to carefully cut out the circle and glue it onto their paper.
- Starting with the new moon, students number each “slice” of the moon calendar, 1-28 (numbers go inside each slice)
- Next students label the marked moons: new moon, first quarter/half moon, full moon, third quarter/half moon
- Optional (as students finish): Students may then draw the moons in the remaining slices, using the marked moons as a guide. Invite students to start with the new moon and gradually draw the crescents waning to gibbous, and then to full. Then back from full to waxing gibbous to waxing crescent. Write these terms on the board as you review them.
Now guide students through the gardening activities that are connected to the four quarters of the moon.
New Moon: This is the best time to plant and harvest root crops as the moonlight is at its lowest, and the moisture level is low (Root)
First Quarter: This is the best time to plant leaf crops as the moonlight is increasing, and the moisture level is rising (Leaf)
Full moon: This is the best time for starting and harvesting seed crops, when the moisture content in the soil is at its peak (Seed)
Third Quarter: This is the best time for planting and harvesting fruit and flower crops, as the moonlight begins to wane, and the moisture level wanes (Fruit/Flower)
- Invite the students to write and/or draw the types of crops to plant/harvest during each quarter of the moon, on the outside of the circle.
Wrap up/ Assessment:
Students make their own moon calendars, and use the moon calendars to guide their work in the gardens throughout the year.
Extensions:
Resources: