Below you will find ideas and session plans for a five-week Gardening Club. Over the course of this series, the group should be able to transform an outside area (such as a patch of grass, outside terrace or rooftop garden) into a functioning and productive garden space. This could be used as a one-off course, or as the starting point to an ongoing activity that runs alongside or as a part of a regular toddler group session. This is best suited to older members of a toddler group, ideally ages 2-4. The activities could also be adapted for use with older children by tweaking some of the craft activities and changing the suggested stories. Leader s Notes Here are a few tips to help you get started and to make the best of your club: Try and get people to sign up for whole course, as it will be more succesful to go through the whole journey together rather than just having different people for different sessions. The best space will depend on your local area and what is available to you, but the best types of places will either be a green area around your church or venue (plant into soil) or on a terrace or rooftop garden (plant in pots, raised beds). The cost of setting up this kind of group will vary depending on your venue and what material you need (for example, it will cost more if you need to buy plant pots and beds). You may also be able to use money from your church s community fund to help purchase the equipment needed if you have one. It is also advised to charge a fee for taking part in the course either 50p per person per session or 10 per family for the course will probably work best. You will need to order/obtain some gardening equipment to use, such as forks, trowels, gloves, watering cans, stakes, plant labels, etc. Gardening boxes are available from educational resource catalogues which contain all the tools you might need, or you might be able to get members of the church or community to donate useful items. You will also need pots / grow bags / old bins (with holes drilled in base) to use for planting if you don t have soil to plant in. You will also need to get some compost to fill the containers either before the start of the club or at the beginning of the first session. Make sure you write a code of conduct or behaviour policy to adhere to, to ensure safety and enjoyment for all children (including a clause about parents coming to support and engage in the project to enhance children s participation and enjoyment). You will also need to write a risk assessment for the group and the area you are using to ensure the safety of everyone taking part in the activities. This course was specifically designed to be used around May-June but can be adapted to be used at other times of year. However, you may need to plant alternative fruit/veg if holding the club during other seasons. For help and ideas of what to grow at different times of year visit www.rhs.org.uk/gardening/grow-your-own. Some produce will take longer than the five weeks to grow and be ready for harvesting, so make sure you allow time and access so that you and your group can continue to observe your produce growing and changing. Alternatively you could hold the sessions bi-weekly so that by the end of the course some of the produce will have started to grow/flower and be ready to be harvested. However if you want quick-growing produce then nasturtiums, radishes and herbs will show visible progress more quickly, and growing tomatoes and strawberries from seedlings can also help speed the process up. 1 / 6
Week 1 Theme: Clear up and Preparation How to prepare an activity and work towards a long-term goal. To have patience. Gardening: Refuse sacks, forks, trowels, compost, watering cans Craft: Squares of coloured paper, scissors, drawing pins, unsharpened pencils with eraser at one end to push drawing pin through Snack: Jug of water, cups, breadsticks, granola, small plates Story: One Mole Digging a Hole by Julia Davidson Craft Activity: Making Windmills First fold your piece of paper from one corner to the opposite corner. Open the paper up and repeat for the other two corners. Cut along each of the folds, stopping 1cm from the centre. Put your small piece of card on to the head of the pin this is to help your windmill spin better when it is finished. Fold one of the corners of the paper into the middle and carefully push your pin through the card and into the side of the eraser. Repeat for the remaining three corners. You can also decorate your pieces of paper first to make your windmills even more colourful. 10 mins Explain to the children that today we will be preparing the area that we will be using over the next few weeks. This could involve weeding the pots, getting rid of waste into garden bags and filling pots with compost ready to plant in. Show an example of a windmill and explain to parents that it is an activity to do together with the resources provided. Also be sure to cover any health & safety requirements for the activities and venue according to your risk assessment. 20 mins The children and adults each take part in both the gardening and craft activities. 10 mins SNACK TIME - Breadsticks and granola. Whilst the children are eating, explain to them that after snack time it will be tidy up time, and that next week we will be planting seeds and painting plant pots. Ask everyone to bring along any clean eggshells with them. 2 / 6
Week 2 Theme: Planting Vegetables To understand how things grow and change. To learn that plants need water and light. Gardening: Seeds (carrot, potato, radishes, marrow, nasturtiums and onion bulbs), plastic planting pots/trays, compost, sticky labels / permanent marker for children s names, wooden labels for labelling plants Craft: Ceramic plant pots x 10, acrylic paints, paint brushes, pots of water Snack: Jug of water, cups, small plates, grapes and breadsticks Story: Jasper s Beanstalk by Nick Butterworth or Scarlette Beane by Karen Wallace Craft Activity: Painting Plant Pots 5 mins Welcome everyone to the group. Get everyone to sit in a circle, 15 mins While still sat as a group, ask them to recall what they did last week, providing prompts if necessary. Explain that today we will be planting seeds and bulbs (vegetables) and watering the pots. Split the children into two groups one to start with the craft activity and the other to start with planting. Show the pot and explain how to use the paints and water. Send the craft group to start. Take the rest of the children to the pots and demonstrate planting seeds. Cover any health & safety requirements for the activities and venue according to your risk assessment for example, ensure that nothing is to be eaten. 20 mins Children and adults to take part in the gardening/craft activities. Halfway through get the groups to swap over. At this point demonstrate planting bulbs and seeds to the second group and allow the children to take part. 10 mins SNACK TIME - Breadsticks and grapes. Whilst the children are eating, explain that after snack time it will be tidy up time and that next week we will be planting some fruit and making wind chimes. Ask them to bring along any more eggshells, as well as shells, stones and beads for the craft activity. 3 / 6
Week 3 Theme: Let s Grow Fruit To understand how things grow and change. To observe changes in plants. Gardening: Seeds (strawberry, tomato, sunflower, cucumber), plastic planting pots, compost, sticky labels / permanent marker for children s names, wooden labels for labelling plants, netting for strawberry and tomato plants Craft: Lolly sticks x 1 per child, string/cotton, beads, stones/pebbles, feathers, shells, etc Snack: Jug of water, cups, small plates Story: The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle Craft Activity: Nature s Treasures Mobiles Select a few items collected from the outdoors, eg, a feather, a shell, a leaf and a small pinecone. Tie a piece of string/cotton (about 1m in length) to the centre of a lolly stick. Now attach a smaller piece of sting in a loop to the lolly stick to create a hook. Select an item from your collection and tie on to the left-over string a few centimetres under the lolly stick. Repeat for each item so you have a string of natural resources hanging from the lolly stick. Any excess string can be cut off. 10 mins While still sat as a group, ask them to recall what they did last week, providing prompts if necessary. Encourage the children to check for any change or growth on the plants and report back. Explain this week s gardening and craft activities. Remind parents that the children will need support with each activity. Get the children to split into two groups. Demonstrate planting and repotting the plants and watering. Divide the tomato, cucumber and strawberry seeds into small pots - one pot of each type of seed per child. Show the children where to plant each item. Make a small hole and pour in the seeds. Cover over with soil/compost and water thoroughly. Label the pots/bed/patch with plant labels. Cover any health & safety requirements for the activities and venue according to your risk assessment for example, no eating the seeds or plants and to be careful with craft and small objects. 20 mins Children and adults to take part in one of the activities and to swap over halfway through. 10 mins SNACK TIME - Breadsticks and fruit. Whilst the children are eating, explain that after snack time it will be tidy up time and that next week we will be making bird feeders and painting pebbles. Check with the group to make sure no one has a peanut allergy in preperation for next week s session. 4 / 6
Week 4 Theme: Atrracting Wildlife To follow instructions and work collaboratively. To be patient and watch carefully. Gardening: Flower seeds, watering cans, compost, pine cones, raisins, nuts, bread, string Craft: Pebbles x 20, black, red and yellow paint, brushes, water, googlyeye stickers, PVA glue, pre-prepared bee and ladybird pebbles Snack: Jug of water, cups, small plates, grapes, breadsticks Story: Doing the Garden by Sarah Garland Craft Activity: Insect Pebbles Paint your pebbles using the yellow (for a bee) or red paint (for a ladybird) as desired. Paint a head on the front quarter of the pebble using the black paint. For the ladybird use the black paint to draw a straight line down the middle of the rock, from the back of the head all the way down the body, and then to add spots to the body. For the bee, use the black paint to draw lines across the body. Stick the googly-eye stickers to the head using PVA glue and leave to dry. Coat the pebble in PVA glue to varnish it and stop the paint from washing off. 15 mins Explain today s activities to the children. Show the pebbles painted as the ladybird and bee. Demonstrate how to make a bird feeder by slotting peanuts, raisins and bread into spaces on a pine cone. Attach the string and then hang for the birds. You should have already checked, but doublecheck that no one has a peanut allergy before the children start making feeders. Explain that planting flower seeds will help to attract insects such as bees and butterflies (you can use the pots the children painted in week 2 for these). Ask children what they will need to plant seeds eg soil/ compost, seeds, water and light. 20 mins Children and adults to take part in gardening/craft activity. If there are too many children, swap over halfway through so everyone gets a chance to do both. Instruct the parents to help thin the seedlings. 10 mins SNACK TIME Breadsticks and grapes. Whilst the children are eating, explain that after snack time it will be tidy up time and that next week we will be picking any fruit or vegetables that are ready and making kites. 5 / 6
Week 5 Theme: Reaping what we sow To understand how fruit and vegetables grow. To have pride in the outcome of their work. Gardening: Trowels, forks, herb seeds, compost, watering cans Craft: Card with kite template, tissue bows, string, crayons Snack: Jug of water, cups, small plates, grapes, breadsticks Story: Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper Craft Activity: Kites Draw one diamond shape and four bows on a piece of paper. Photocopy one for each child on coloured card. Cut out the shapes and decorate the kite shape using crayons/pencils/sequins etc. Use a sharp pencil to make a small hole in the top point of the kite shape, about 1cm from the edges (get an adult to do this). Thread a piece of cotton (30cm) through the hole and tie to secure. Tie the other end to a lolly stick. Stick two 15cm pieces of thin coloured ribbon to the corner opposite to the punched corner. Use cellophane tape to attach ribbons to the back of the kite (allowing the majority of the ribbon to train from corner acting as a tail). Attach bows to the ribbons using cellophane tape or a stapler. 10 mins Explain the craft activity and show an example of the kite. Take the children to the various plant pots and observe any growth/ change in the seedlings. If any fruit or veg is ready for harvesting demonstrate how to harvest the produce and wash before eating. Plant herbs in window boxes and water. Get the children to take turns to complete each activity. 20 mins Children and adults to take part in the gardening/craft activity. 10 mins SNACK TIME - Breadsticks and grapes. While the children are eating, explain that after snack time it will be tidy up time. If you are going to continue meeting in the club, explain what you will be doing next time. 6 / 6