Gardens – Page 10 – Island Grown Schools

Curriculum Toolkit
Over the years, we have honed in on priority curricular units for every grade level, preschool through 12th grade, that build on each other and provide a meaningful food education for the students we work with.
This Toolkit is the compilation of these units, along with their related teaching standards and sequence. We are constantly adding to this site, so please check in again soon for updates.

We designed this curriculum framework to help our students grasp the following key concepts by the time they graduate from High School:

Feel confident in making healthy food choices

Appreciate the farming profession

Know that everyone can grow food

Understand the connection between healthy soil, healthy plants and healthy people

Recognize a regenerative, local food system is inclusive and promotes a healthy ecosystem.

Planting a Sensory Garden

OBJECTIVE Students connect their five senses to something in the garden ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Which senses do we use in the garden? MATERIALS NEEDED Touch: sage, mullen Smell: herbs Taste: pea shoots, sorrel, cherry tomatoes, kale Sound: wind chime, bird feeder to attract birds Sight: zinnias, calendula, merigolds PROCEDURE Buy plants or have starts ready, choose […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens

Fruit Dissection

OBJECTIVE Students will understand that a fruit is anything with seeds in it Students will infer that the size of a fruit does not indicate the size or amount of seeds ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Where do seeds come from? How are seeds and fruits different from one another? MATERIALS NEEDED PROCEDURE Introduction: Play “Silent Museum” to […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Math, Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens, Seeds

Pollinator Game

OBJECTIVE Students will understand the process of pollination Students will be able to name some pollinators ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Who are our pollinators? What happens during pollination? MATERIALS NEEDED Activity One: Activity Two: Activity Three: Activity Four: PROCEDURE This lesson can be done over multiple days/weeks or one condensed lesson Print out flower coloring pages and […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens

Five Senses Scavenger Hunt

OBJECTIVE Students will learn about each of the five senses and connect them to something in the garden. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Which senses do we use in the garden? MATERIALS NEEDED PROCEDURE Introduction: In the garden, start by asking students if they know what our senses are. Explain that our senses are what we use to […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens

Curriculum Toolkit

Planting a Sensory Garden

Fruit Dissection

Pollinator Game

Five Senses Scavenger Hunt