Monitoring the Garden Project
Objectives:
The educational value of the project is best upheld through keeping
records. It allows the children to observe closely, recall what
they have done, to get a sense of direction, to look back retrospectively
and most importantly reinforces learning.
Activities:
Here are some of the developments that the children can log:
- Story of the garden and how it was established
- What the garden produces and how it has developed
- Growth of plants, weather, rainfall, etc.
- Condition of compost
- Maintenance of the gardening project
- Problems, incidents and action taken
- Amount of fruit/vegetables produced (per plant, per square metre,
per plot, overall, etc.)
- Number and type of weeds
- Work achieved and time spent
There are many ways in which you can encourage the logging of the progress that is being made in the school gardening project. Some suggestions would be using drawings and photographs, work diaries or logs and written or oral reports. Why not create a class Garden Book or wall diary with weekly entries from individual children?
Don't forget you can share your school garden progress on this website for all to enjoy. It may inspire other schools too! Just e-mail the details to buddinggardeners@harrod.uk.com
