Outdoor learning activities for kids from Scotts
Gro More Good Learning Activities is a series of 72 free lessons focused on the four seasons of a garden. Each activity is fun, hands-on and perfect for getting your kids outside, exploring and learning. The activities are based on early childhood education best practices and developed in partnership with the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center. Topics are divided by season on the website, Spring Activities, Summer Activities, Fall Activities, and Winer Activities. Lessons are designed for three levels. Tiny Gardeners (Infants and Toddlers), Growing Gardeners (PreK and Kindergarten), and Garden Guides (Grades 1 to 3). However, lessons can be expanded and used with any age group.
Lessons were written by early childhood experts at the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center (SEEC), the early childhood school located inside the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC. Lessons include a variety of skills––cognitive, language, affective, and social-emotional. Counting? How many of a particular plant are in this row? Categorizing? Can you sort the weeds from the seedlings? Gross and fine-motor skill-building opportunities abound. Lessons explore a variety of content—science, technology, engineering, math, and the arts. It is possible to explore any subject in the garden from history to math to art to literature. Each lesson includes suggestions for things to bring to the garden. The garden is certainly a destination in and of itself, but the lessons include objects that might extend the visit.
