Garden Lessons: What Makes Something Living? (Kindergarten)
Grades: Pre-K & Kindergarten
Lesson Objective(s): Some things are living in our garden, some things are not
Ohio Curriculum Standard: Living things have certain needs
Set up & Supplies Needed
Bucket/basket of living and non-living items from the garden: a rock, a small plant, picture of a person, a trowel, water bottle, picture of a car, a cabbage worm in a jar
“Living Things Need” List & accompanying items
2 Hula hoops, with “Living” and “Non-Living” Labels
Blankets for sitting during story-time
Set up watering cans by lettuce planting station
Labels for lettuce (& which class planted them)
Lettuce Snack
Living & non-living book
Hand-sanitizer & glove for serving snack
Harmonica
Introduction (5 mins)
Welcome everyone to garden: introduce self & grown ups
Read “Living & Nonliving” Book. As go through book, ask questions.
Activity in the Garden (10 mins)
Explain: we’re going to be helping plant some lettuce plants in our garden today. Is this plant living or non-living?
Transplant lettuce plants in the garden
Water where we planted
Sit back down in circle, and show everyone the basket
Pass around the basket- let everyone have to the count of 3 to touch and look at the items in the basket: Water bottle with water inside, cabbage worm in jar, a trowel, picture of a person, a rock, a picture of a car, a small plant
Once the basket goes all around the circle, pull out items one and decide as a class if the item is living or non-living by using the “Living Things Need” list. Put the item in the right hula hoop.
wrap up (5 mins)
Everyone Tries a Lettuce Snack!