This week's selection of interactive resources will allow young learners to flourish outdoors whilst also growing a better understanding of many subject areas; from food technology to science.
Ages 4 - 6
- The Royal Horticultural Society recommend a selection of wild and cultivated plants in this Plants for a Wildlife Garden resource that will attract birds, bees, bugs and butterflies to your wildlife garden.
- Garden Organic have put together six indoor and outdoor games to help children learn some of the basics of gardening such as tool use and crop families.
- This resource produced by One Seed Forward has really useful materials that provide inspiration for learning about seeds, their growth cycles and germination in a school setting that can easily be adapted to use at home or at the allotment.
- Also in the series by One Seed Forward is The Mystery of Growth resource which looks at the processes of plant growth and learning about what factors affect it.
- These simple Grow Your Own Cards produced by Garden Organic help you get the best from your organic garden by outlining growing instructions, growing calendar and key facts and figures to improve your growing success with vegetables, edible flowers, fruit, herbs and green manures.
- Sainsbury's Bank have put together this fun and educational Grow Your Own Mint activity that can help kids learn about where food comes from, while developing new skills. Taking care of a plant will teach them not only to be responsible, but it will also help them understand that every action causes an effect (i.e. if you don’t water the plant, the plant dies).
Ages 7 - 11
- 'Get Your Hands Dirty' is a great resource produced by Social Farms & Gardens for anyone considering using growing plants and caring for animals to enhance learning opportunities. This resource is useful for anyone thinking of starting to grow plants or wanting to start more complex activities in their school or community garden/allotment.
- Use this brilliant step-by-step guide produced by Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS) to make a Small Propagator for cuttings or seedlings using two plastic drinks bottles.
- This Set of Posters provide an excellent visual tool for any age and ability, covering a range of topics in a fun and informative way. Includes Identifying weeds, Using space well, Edible plant parts and Food growing year. Scroll down the Resources web page to find each poster.
- This Kitchen Garden resource developed by School Food Matters brings together the two life skills of cooking and growing your own food. Blue Peter Gardener, Chris Collins, offers some handy tips on how to get the best out of your garden and how to increase your crop.
Ages 11 - 16
- Discover How Bee-friendly Your Garden Is and learn how to improve it with planting recommendations tailored to your garden’s growing conditions, using this handy tool brought to you by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s bee experts.
- Try this Grow Around The World activity pack celebrating London’s food culture. Students can grow and taste exotic and unusual food, uncover the origins of crops, sow new varieties, learn from their local community, and eat, cook and share food together.
- Check out this collection of Growing Activity Sheets covering many practical gardening activities eg sowing seed, clearing weeds and grass, taking cuttings and pruning fruit.
For more home education resources, go to the Countryside Classroom Home Education Hub. We will also be posting a blog highlighting a range of resources on the themes of Cooking and Baking, Crafting and drawing. All resources were originally written for school use, but are equally suitable for education at home, while following government guidelines on social distancing.
Do share what you are doing with us, and other home educators, at #CountrysideClassroom.
