| KINDERGARTEN:
Unit 1, Lesson 2, Gardeners and Farmers
Compare sizes of gardens and farm fields, number of seeds and
kinds of crops, planting methods, and amount of harvest. Suggested book is
A Field of Sunflowers by Neil Johnson.
Unit 2, Lesson 1, Start With Seeds
Sort and plant seeds. Start an egg head planter. Suggested book is How a Seed Grows
by Helene Jordan.
Unit 2, Lesson 3, Water and Light
Plant seeds between paper towels and the side of a clear plastic cup. Experiment with
varying amounts of water and light. Suggested book is The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss.
Unit 2, Lesson 4, Sun, Soil, Water, and Air
Play a clue game and learn a song to identify characteristics of the four natural resources
needed for plants to grow. The lyrics to the song and the clues become reading activities.
Unit 3, Lesson 3, Building a Food Maze
Follow sunflower seed snacks from the garden to the consumer via a food maze.
Outdoor Classroom: Sunflower House
Plant a sunflower house. Make starter pots from newspapers rolled around frozen juice
cans which can be planted directly into the ground once the seedlings are about three
inches tall. The guide for planting, growing, and enjoying this garden is from the book
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting. Follow the plant's growth with From Seed to Sunflower
by Dr. Gerald Legg.
FIRST GRADE:
Unit 1, Lesson 1, My Special Garden
Read and complete activities to discover many types of gardens. Suggested books are
The Green Truck Garden Giveaway by Jacqueline Martin, The Flower Garden by Eve
Bunting, The Maybe Garden by Kimberly Burke-Weiner, Planting a Rainbow by Lois
Ehlert, the surprise garden by Zoe Hall, A Field of Sunflowers by Neil Johnson, Harvey
Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolen and Mark Buehner and Sunflower Sal by Janet S.
Anderson.
Unit 1, Lesson 2, A Dream Garden
Plot a garden on grid paper to discover how much space plants take. Create your
classroom's "dream garden mural" on large pieces of white butcher paper. Who knows,
your murals could become plans for your school yard.
Unit 1, Lesson 3, Claude Monet
Discover how artists used flowers and natural resources to create impressionistic
paintings. Take a virtual tour of Monet's gardens at http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm Suggested books are Linea in Monet's Garden
by Lena Anderson and Christina Bjork (also in videotape), Monet Art Activity Packet by
Mila Boutan, Farmous Artists Monet by Antony Mason, Camille and the SUNFLOWERS:
A Story about Vincent van Gogh by Laurence Anholt, Katie and the Sunflowers (includes
paintings by van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cezanne) by James Mayhew
Unit 2, Lesson 1, Designing Plants
Create your own flower using the four main parts of a plant. Sing songs that connect you
to the parts of a plant. Suggested book includes Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens.
Unit 3, Lesson 1: My Totally Tasty Plant
Identify parts of plants and then eat your lesson. An activity sheet is a good tool to test
out the thinking skills of your students. Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens can also
make this lesson even more fun.
Outdoor Classroom: Salad Garden
Include a row of sunflowers to top off your salad from this garden plan. The suggested
books are the surprise garden by Zoe Hall and The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone.
SECOND GRADE:
Unit 2, Lesson 1: What's Up with Plants?
Plant sunflower seeds to experiment with phototropism and geotropism.
THIRD GRADE:
Unit 1, Lesson 1, What's my hobby or business?
Play a game to decide when planting something such as sunflowers is a hobby and when
it is a business. Suggested books include The Gardener by Sara Stewart, City Green by
Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan, Old MacDonald Had an Apartment House by Judi Barrett, Farms
Feed the World by Lee Sullivan Hill, and The Garden of Happiness by Erika Tamar.
Unit 2, Lesson 2: Germination
Conduct germination tests using sunflower seeds and plants. Suggested book is
A Seed is a Promise by Claire Merrill.
Growing in the Garden: Outdoor Classrooms for Young Children, Leader's Guide
Sunflowers could fit into any of the activities in this curriculum. More than 40 activities are arranged into these topic areas: Garden Design, Prepare to Plant, Time to Plant, Cultivating Communication, Gardens Need Natural Resources, Plotting Against Pests, Adding Value to Garden Produce, Pick a Better Snack, Harvest-The Celebration of Cultivation, and Garden Party.
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