Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to apply basic arithmetic skills to gardening activities, such as counting seeds, measuring plant growth, and understanding simple addition and subtraction in a gardening context.
Materials and Prep
- Gardening tools (e.g., small shovel, watering can)
- Seeds or small plants
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Container for collecting and counting seeds
- Worksheet or paper for recording observations
Activities
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Counting Seeds
Start by giving the student a container of seeds and ask them to count how many seeds are in it. Encourage them to use their fingers or a small scoop to count the seeds one by one. Write down the number they come up with.
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Measuring Plant Growth
Select a plant or seedling and measure its height using a measuring tape or ruler. Show the student how to align the starting point at the base of the plant and read the measurement at the top. Record the measurement on the worksheet or paper.
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Addition and Subtraction in Gardening
Ask the student to imagine they have 5 plants in their garden and they want to add 3 more. Help them count the total number of plants and write down the sum. Then, ask them to imagine they give away 2 plants to a friend. Help them subtract the number of plants given away and write down the difference.
Preschool Grade Talking Points
- "Gardening is a fun way to learn about plants and numbers!"
- "Let's count how many seeds are in this container."
- "We can measure how tall a plant is using a measuring tape or ruler."
- "Adding means putting things together. If we have 5 plants and add 3 more, how many plants do we have in total?"
- "Subtracting means taking away. If we give away 2 plants, how many plants do we have left?"