This page contains organisations or website which provide curriculum links which may be of interest or use to those interested in school gardening, education or sustainability. Click on the heading to enter the site or page.
Linking Gardens to Curriculum
- Sustainability Mapping – Learn how to relate gardening/sustainability to curriculum.
- Linking Gardens to School Curriculum – Ideas how to integrate gardening with curriculum
- Garden Links to Learning – Interdisciplinary learning and cross curriculum links.
Themed Gardens
KidsGrow Garden Teaching Resource for schools includes an overview of the learning outcomes for four themed gardens and provides practical tips for gardening at school. KidsGrow is a useful resource for teachers to use to link gardens to school curriculum and encourages interdisciplinary learning.
Garden Themed Lesson Plans
Junior Landcare – Learning Centre Provide easy and FUN 30-minute activities aligned to the school curriculum to get the students involved in environmental sustainability activities at school, home or in the community.
Phenomenom is a free digital toolkit for teachers, jam-packed with springboard episodes and lesson plans, designed to tickle students’ tastebuds for learning food
literacy and designed to get kids excited about healthy food, especially vegetables.
Frontiers for Young Minds Provides a collection of freely available scientific articles by distinguished scientists that are shaped for younger audiences by the input of their own young peers. Biodiversity and Earth and it Resources are just some of the subjects covered.
Life Lab Life Lab cultivates children’s love of learning, nourishing food, and nature through garden-based education. Search or browse through their extensive collection of resources to support your school gardening efforts.
Plant Parts and Growth
Know, Sow, Grow – The Edible Yard Project A set of six garden-based activities and lessons geared towards teaching the basics of plant parts and processes, emphasizing garden vocabulary and observation. The lessons include leading students through hands-on activities practicing basic gardening skills.
Plant Science Learning Hub – Australian National Botanic Garden A fun and educational resource hub designed for educators and students to explore the science of Australian native plants.
Teaching about Plants – Biology Activities for Kids Teach students all about plants with these hands-on and fun activities for kids by Enjoy Teaching.
What is photosynthesis? Plants can make their own food using a process called photosynthesis, learn how they do it.
Photosynthesis – worksheet Look at the picture and fill in the blanks using the words at the bottom of the page.
What’s Inside a Seed? – video Have your students ever wondered what’s inside a seed? This videos takes a look at the inside of a bean and teaches about all the parts of a seed.
From a seed to a Flower – video A ‘claymation’ type video created to be used with a flower unit . This movie goes through each stage of a growing flower along with naming the basic parts of the flower. The purpose of this presentation is to enhance the students understanding and familiarity of these basic terms.
Bean Time Lapse over 25 Days – video A time-lapse of a bean growing over a twenty-five day period. You see what’s happening above and below the soil.
Grow a Seed – Sow a Seed Engage young learners’ senses as they grow food from a seed. They can learn about caring for a living thing, experience the joy of watching something grow and harvesting healthy edible food. The activity provides opportunities for development of science, sustainability and maths concepts.
Pollinators & Pollination
Pollination for Kids | Flower Learning Video Learn about pollination in this learning video for kids. See the process of how a flower multiplies and makes other flowers and learn about pollinators!
Upclose Experience Bee Farm See the workings of a beehive up close.
The Beauty of Pollination – Moving Art™ This short film is about the threat to essential pollinators that produce over a third of the food we eat. The seductive love dance between flowers and pollinators sustains the fabric of life and is the mystical keystone event where the animal and plant worlds intersect that make the world go round.
All About Bees Find out more about these fascinating pollinators, with teaching and learning materials, games, videos, glossaries, databases of the different species and pieces of general knowledge.
Native Bees Learn about Australia’s native bees
Compost / Worms
Vermicompost – Life in the compost bin – video Watch this time lapse video of two weeks in a compost bin in one minute.
Three earthworm species – video These time-lapse movies show the behaviour of three different earthworm species feeding and burrowing.
Compost Guide for Educator’s – Subpod has a free ‘Compost Guide for Educators’ curriculum, with lessons and extensions for primary and secondary students.
Food: Different By Design A First Nations Perspective of Food and Agriculture This resource contains a selection of available materials that teachers may find useful when
addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture as a part of the Cross-Curriculum Priority.
Introduction of Herbs for Children This series of lessons caters to that natural inquisitiveness while introducing children to the world of herbalism in interesting and enjoyable ways.
Garden Detective – game – Using the magnifying glass to find different creatures in the garden.
Outdoor Science Activity: Backyard Biodiversity This activity, focuses on the different types of living organisms that our in student’s schoolyard/backyard.
How and Why to Keep a Garden Journal Keeping detailed notes about what and where you plant is worth the effort.
Garden Journal Use these pages to start your own garden journal
Lovely Leaves This activity is a chance for children to try out being botanists (scientists who study plants) by getting to know some of the different leaves around them.
Children Garden Themed Books
Grace’s Mystery Seed An engaging and educational story where Grace learns how to grow a seed with the help of Mrs Marion. She does not know what it will become. Author Juliet M Sampson, who is also a primary school teacher, has provided a pdf of teacher’s notes which covers maths, English and science curriculum.
Apps to Download
- National Waterbug – Identifies (freshwater invertebrates) from Australia
- Frog ID – Frog identification initiative
- PlantSpot Plant Identification – Identifies thousands of trees, flowers, succulents, cacti and more in an instant.
- Veg Pest ID – Identify pests on your vegetable crops
- Field Guide app to Victorian Fauna – Explore Victoria’s unique and diverse wildlife at home or in the great outdoors
- iNaturalist – Identify plants and animals around you.
Oversea Garden Programs
These oversea organisations also have school garden resources to access.
Kids Gardening Offer inspiration and support to educators and families by providing kids garden activities, garden-based educational resources, gardening advice, and other helpful tips to inspire you to just keep growing.
School Gardening (RHS) Choose from activities, projects, lesson plans & other resources suited to your educational needs.
The Edible Garden Project – Edible education lessons plans and materials for educators or that students can complete at home.
School Garden Project School – Creates STEM units designed for garden centred education.
Outdoor Education Collective Promoting and supporting educators with resources and coaching for outdoor learning.
Life Lab Cultivates children’s love of learning, nourishing food, and nature through garden-based education.