Activity

Food Garden

Key Learning

Students will investigate what plants need to survive and explore the benefits of a kitchen garden.

The Australian Curriculum > Science / Science Understanding / Biological sciences
Content description / General capabilities
Literacy
Critical and creative thinking
Cross-curriculum priorities
Sustainability
The growth and survival of living things are affected by the physical conditions of their environment. Code ACSSU094
Elaboration
  • investigating how changing the physical conditions for plants impacts on their growth and survival such as salt water, use of fertilizers and soil types

The Australian Curriculum > Science / Science as a Human Endeavour / Use and Influence of science
Content description / General capabilities
Literacy
Personal and social capability
Critical and creative thinking
Cross-curriculum priorities
Sustainability
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions. Code ACSHE217
Elaboration
  • considering how best to ensure growth of plants
  • considering how decisions are made to grow particular plants and crops depending on environmental conditions

Focus Questions

  1. Summarise the BtN Food Garden story.
  2. What family does the vegetable kale come from?
  3. Marrow
  4. Cabbage
  5. Carrot
  6. What are the kids in the BtN story doing with thevegetablesfrom their garden?
  7. What sorts of things can kids learnfrom having a kitchen garden at their school?
  8. Complete this sentence. Everyone has a job to do, like ______and ______their produce.
  9. What are some of the differences between veggies grown in school or home gardens and veggies bought at the supermarket?
  10. List some of the vegetables that the kids in the BtN story used in their cooking?
  11. What famous couple recently visited an Aussie school to recognise their kitchen garden efforts?
  12. What are some of the benefits of having a kitchen garden at your school or at home?
  13. Illustrate an aspect of this story.

Activity

Summer Activity – Grow a pizza garden

Before planting the pizza garden ask students to choose one of the six vegetables/herbs from the pizza garden (for example, tomatoes, onions, capsicum, basil, oregano, parsley) and conduct investigative research. Here are some questions for investigation:

  • What is the botanical name of this plant?
  • What family group does this plant come from?
  • How many types of varieties are there?
  • Whenis the best time to sow this plant?
  • How far apart should the seeds or seedlings be planted?
  • What is companion planting? Does this plant grow better if it is grown next to another plant?

Preparing the garden

In your garden area, mark off a circle putting a stake upright in the ground. Attach a 1 metre length of string to the stake. Keeping the string tight walk around in a circle and mark the ground to show the garden’s border. Divide the circle into six equal wedges in which students will grow three different vegetables and three different herbs (for example tomatoes, onions, capsicum, basil, oregano, parsley). Please note, if you do not have access to a garden area this project can be achieved by planting in pots.

When designing and preparing your garden, students will need to consider the following:

  • Sustainability – carry out sustainable activities such as rainwater collection, composting, recycling.
  • Watering & good soil–investigate what these plants need in order to grow.
  • Organic – research the benefits of an organic garden (i.e. no pesticides).
  • Aspect – research how to choose a good site based on its aspect to the sun.
  • Safety – make sure that your kitchen garden is a safe place with suitable equipment, tools, fences, gates and paths.

Design a recipe

Ask students to design a pizza recipe using vegetables and herbs from your pizza garden. Students will need to take into consideration ingredients, measurements, a procedure, cooking times and cooking equipment required to make the pizza.

Once the vegetables and herbs are ready for harvesting conduct a cooking lesson using recipes designed by the students.

Autumn– Making compost

Compost can be made all year round, however, autumn is a great time as it brings a good supply of organic matter including fallen autumn leaves and grass clippings. Ask students to collect a variety of fallen leaves from plants and trees in your school garden. Students will identify which plants/tress the leaves belong to and then research the plants botanical name and its origin.

Before starting up your own school compost facilitate a class discussion. Here are some discussion starters:

  • What is compost?
  • What sorts of things can you put in a compost bin? Do you know what can’t be put in compost?
  • Predict what will happen to organic matter that is put in a compost bin?
  • Why make compost at your school? Discuss how compost can help economically and environmentally.

Making compost

Develop a method for collecting and composting organic waste and explain how this will help to reduce the total amount of waste produced at your school. Create posters to illustrate what types of food scraps can be put into a compost system. Communicate your plans to reduce waste to the whole school community.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to setup your own school composting system.

Spring – Sprouts in jars

This activity will provide students with the opportunity to grow their own nourishing sprouts in the classroom.

Ask students to research the benefits of growing your own sprouts and how they provide a healthy food source.Consider that sprouts take up minimal growing space, use little water, are cheap, healthy and easy to grow.

Sprouting process

Each student will require 1 tablespoon of mung beans, a jar, 1 x small piece of fly screen, 1 x rubber band and a name tag. Provide several large 2cm deep trays.

  1. Students will need to collect recycled jars from either home or school.
  2. Prepare your jar with your name tag.
  3. In your jar soak 1 tablespoon of mung bean seeds in warm water for 6-8 hours. This will start the germination part of the process.
  4. Leave seeds to soakin water overnight.
  5. Rinse thoroughly with water.
  6. Put the seeds back into your jarand place a piece of fly screen over the top. Hold the fly screen in place with a rubber band. The fly screen will allow the air and water to move freely.
  7. Please the jar upside down in a tray on a 45 degree angle. This will allow the water to drain which is important because if the water sits then bacteria can breed.
  8. Place the tray near a window so it receives indirect sunlight.
  9. Rinse the sprouts three times a day. Fill the jar up with water and then flush and let them drain.
  10. Continue this process until the sprouts have sprouted their first pair of leaves.
  11. The sprouts are ready to eat when the first pair of leaves come through.
  12. Enjoy in a salad or on a sandwich.

Here is an investigation framework to guide students during this process.

  • What equipment will I need? Make a list or draw and label each item.
  • What do I think will happen (prediction)? Why do I think this will happen?
  • Use a labelled diagram to illustrate this process.
  • Write a sentence that summarises what happened. Was this what I expected? Yes or no.

Winter – Activity for a rainy day

Here are some activities for students to complete during the winter season, a season which brings rainy days and kids indoors. Ask students to pick one of the following activities and then design and create a poster to be displayed around the school.

Food Miles
Ask students to choose a vegetable and then calculate the food miles if it were purchased at the local supermarket compared to grown in the local kitchen garden. When designing a poster students will need to convey the benefits that locally grown vegetables can have on the environment with an emphasis on sustainability.
Some key questions/issues to consider are:
  • What do you think is meant by the term food miles?
  • Find a definition for the term food miles.
  • What is more sustainable? Buying veggies from the supermarket or growing your own in your kitchen garden? Explain your answer.
  • What are the arguments for and against food miles?
  • How does growing vegetables locally help the environment?

The four seasons
Ask students to identify what type of climate zone they live in (tropical, subtropical, arid, temperate or cool). Using the ABC’s Vegetable Planting Guide students will research the seasonal vegetables that grow best in their climate zone.
Some key questions/issues to consider are:
  • Do you think it is important to buy and eat vegetables that are in season? Why or why not? Consider how it may benefit the environment, your health and local business.
  • Which plants are indigenous to your local area?

 Related Research Links

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation – Website

ABC Gardening Australia – Your guide to what to plant and when

NSW Department of Education and Training – Kitchen Gardens

©ABC 2012