School Garden Curriculum Links
There are so many great options to creatively link a school garden project to Australian curriculum requirements
A school garden opens up so many possibilities for learning: from observing bees, to measuring produce, to planning a market garden! But it can take some effort to make sure all of these ideas correlate to the Australian Curriculum…
For that reason, I contacted my very own Mum, AKA Cath Grealy Coaching, who currently works with many schools across Brisbane, and was also a well-loved classroom teacher and an experienced Education Officer-Curriculum, how some great school gardening ideas can link to the Australian Curriculum. Very handy for me!
Cath (who started her own veggie garden last year) has included around three ideas for each primary school year level below, with the subject it relates to, as a starting off point for any teacher looking to bring a greater connection with the natural world to their class. And if you would like a copy of a seasonal planting guide to use at school too, I have included that below too!
The learning possibilities for a school garden are endless and can be linked to a range of curriculum requirements across many subject areas from cooking to observing habitats to measuring produce (above)
School Garden Curriculum Links | Primary School Edition
Prep: Observations of living things (Science) Write a plant growth diary using images (Technology and English) Positional language (Maths)
Grade 1: Seasonal changes including what to plant when and why (Science) Year planting calendar (Maths) Map of garden (Maths)
Grade 2: Where food in the supermarket comes from/supply chains (HASS) Create pictorial supply chains using technology e.g., PPT (Technology)
Grade 3: Main climatic regions (HASS) Class meetings: How to contribute to school community projects, distribution of garden tasks, Life cycles of plants (Science) Information reports (English: writing)
Grade 4: Food chains (Science) Create infographic (Technology) Creating habitats bird/insect attracting plants (HASS) Research (English: reading)
Grade 5: Structure of living things (Science) Information reports (English: writing) Wildlife corridors like a bee superhighway (Science) Research (English: reading)
Grade 6: Enterprise – plan and manage a market garden (HASS) Measurements, costs, profits (Maths)
Imagine setting up a market garden as a school garden project!
Looking for more information? Check out my list of School Garden Grants For 2023-2024 and 5 Easy Veggies To Grow In A School Garden.
