Plants For Learning

Measure the height of trees

Using natural objects in mathematical problems

Mastery of the techniques of great artists, architects and designer

Any leaf can be used as a ‘non-standard’ unit of measure

Using natural materials to represent numbers

The Gardener’s Labyrinth by Thomas Hill, 1577

Descriptive language using nettle and ivy

Exploring the coded language of flowers

Ideas for guides to the plants or other features in your grounds

Plants often feature in sayings, maxims, similes and aphorisms

Using information gained from non-fiction text

An introductory activity for many of the Literacy Springboards

The impact of Roman empire on the flora of Europe

STEM, global issues, growing food around the world - make a floating ‘farm’

Focus on natural landscape features and habitats

Explore Hindu notions of ‘science’ and ‘spirit’

Close observation of a collected plant, flower or leaf

Physically and emotionally healthy choices

Developing mindfulness and taking time out

Curriculum

Explore parts of a plant using a scalpel

Construct a ‘keyhole’ garden

Trees as features and metaphors in the Bible

King Henry V wins the famous Battle of Agincourt

Exploring plant shapes, texture, negative space, composition

Exploring flowers and clothing

Understand the variety of foods that are wind pollinated

Making wind instruments and sounds with natural materials

Using lichen to investigate SO2 and looking at the effect of plants on particulate pollution in school grounds

Why do nettles sting? And do dock leaves help?

Identify heat islands and the effect of plants in mitigation

Sticky, seedy socks: “1 year’s seeds, 7 years’ weeds"

Explore methods of seed dispersal

Classification and plant ID keys

Find tree dimension facts from the Pappus Plant ID sheets

Maths trail/orienteering using plants in the school ground

Design to a brief; create and evaluate a climbing sculpture

Using natural objects to explore place value

Grow your own plants and raise money for school

Research non-fiction text and poetry

Finding and using information from a non-fiction text

Writing for a purpose – link to habitats

Use Pappus ID sheets for nettles

Use Pappus Elder ID sheet and further research

Use Non - fiction texts to research trees around school or local environment

Derivation of place names from plants

Research use of plants to support everyday life in this era

Mapping the distribution of plants locally

Research and design a Japanese Zen garden

A Dandelion story for assembly or circle time.

Feeling welcome and valued – caring for plants

Mindful exercise outdoors to manage complex feelings

Mindfulness, self-worth and connection

Dogwood, willow and hazel provide a range of natural resources for use across the

Harvest and use coppiced hazel in DT projects

Researching different ways to grow food crops without soil

Make an expressive mask using leaf mache

Exploring comic archetypes

Four simple but creative ideas for leaf printing, sketch books and ephemeral art

Make expressive masks from leaves, for performance or dance

Measuring humidity using pinecones

Make instruments from vegetables

Getting started: sources of support for growing plants in school grounds

Explore the pollination strategies of plants

Dissect a broad bean to reveal the structure of a seed

What colours are in Autumn leaves? Experiment and create scientific art

Evolution and inheritance

Explore the impact of female plant hunters and botanists in 19th and early 20th Century

Plot the shadows

Human scatter graph
and bar graph

Angle and Fibonacci and fractals in nature

Reflective and rotational symmetry using natural materials

This is a physically active task, as well as a mathematical one

Get to know a local horse chestnut tree in the grounds or locality

Pupils identify metaphors and improvise a scene

Non-fiction texts and food chains in hedgerow habitats

Use any leaves to inspire Haiku poems

Explore universal plant names, the how and the why!

Scaffolding, using nettles as a model, to suggest a wide range of ambitious adjectives to describe a plant

Enhance a history project with a creative project to make bunting or flags

An historical study of rocks, trees stone structures or old school buildings, using plants

Use the landscape to estimate compass points

Discuss the Islamic principle of ‘balance’

Research and design a Japanese Zen garden

Global citizenship using The Lorax ‘Let it Grow’

A mindfulness exercise and language generator

Make and evaluate watering devices to meet a design brief.

Ideas for food technology activities

Recipes galore using wild plants

Research biomimicry and biomorphism, developing a design idea for garden feature

Exploring Shakespeare’s ‘English’ countryside, in particular the role of trees in creating atmosphere and depth

Golden Lads in Fear No More the Heat of the Sun

Exploring the colours, shades and tones of leaves

A very active task that supports work in science on seed dispersal

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Physically active learning through outdoor dance, with props made from natural materials

The human impact on evergreen and deciduous trees

Why do nettles grow here but not there?

An experiment - the effect of wind on trees laden with ivy

Working scientifically to propagate plants from cuttings

Understand the interrelationship of many species in food webs