Garden Learning Engagement
Learners have already already drawn their first models of garden relationships- in their own neighborhoods with families and in the garden! Scientists, including gardeners, use models to visualize and understand their observations, to answer questions and make predictions about their observations of the natural world. Models help us visualize the relationships that we observe, and help us make visible relationships that we are not able to observe through sight alone.
Purpose
Now that we have a “Should We” question about a garden task, we need to make a model to help us think more deeply about the things we need to know to help us answer the “Should We” question. Gardeners are constantly gathering new information to inform their decision-making about a “Should We” garden task. Once there is a model, gardeners and learners can ask:
- What do we see from this model about our “Should We” question and garden taks?
- What do we need to know to help us answer our ‘Should We’ question?” as the next step in their investigation.
Connections to family and community gardening knowledges and practices
Incorporating the information that families and learners provide with the LE 2 Family Tool is an important way to make that knowledge and family culture visible in your garden learning space and programming. Gardening and agriculture is a human practice that has been done for thousands of years, all over the world. There are many ways to grow food, and by incorporating multiple ways of doing so will enrich the program.
Learning Goals
Learners will…
- Learn how to make a model of a “Should We” question
- Learn how to develop investigative questions from a model and “Should We” question
- Learn about relationships in the garden and how they inform questions and investigations
- Connect with family, learner, and community expertise