Sample Unit - FS 1 "Gardener's World "

Gardener’s World

Inspiration Day: Visit to Park/botanical gardens/organic gardens/garden centre.

Mantle of the Expert: Set up a business to look after people’s house plants/gardens when they go on holiday. Children need to think about advertising & organising rotas. Children will need to research care of plants & gardens.

Communication Language and Literacy

Jack & the Beanstalk- read story, simple sequencing of beginning, middle, end, draw scene of part of the story & children use emergent writing to annotate, writing patterns on Giants boots. Signs, lists for garden centre/flower shop. Sequencing growth of plants/seeds. Retell & sequence stories. Taking turns & listening during discussions. Puppets. Children to bring in flower/flowers from home. Observe and discuss perfume, colours, textures, simple properties e.g. stem, stamen, petals, leaves, pollen, collect descriptive language.

Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy

Weighing Peas & Beans. Prices (writing numerals) /money in flower shop/garden centre. Big& Little-measuring-standard & non-standard measurement.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Exploration and Investigation: Ask children what they already know about plants & flowers/growing things and create a ‘Wonder Wall’ of things they would like to find out. Plant seeds (cress, grass, sunflower) Bulbs, Use bulb viewers to observe & discuss growth of roots & shoots. Soak Beans & peas & observe swelling, grow peas & beans in clear containers to view- create bean diary, grow carrot tops.
Compost in outdoor tactile area, Plant pots & watering cans in water tray.

Design and Making: Make vases & flowers for garden centre/flower shop. Create miniature gardens.

Time: Customs- Investigate well dressings & flower festivals. Passage of time- growth of plants etc.

Place: Flower festivals around the world. Looking at suitable environments for certain plants/flowers to grow.

ICT: Use digital photography & cassette recorder to create a bean diary. Computer programmes related to theme e.g. Simple City-‘Garden Centre’.

Creative Development

Flower pressing, use pressed flowers to create bookmark/picture/cards. Feet & Hand prints to create a beanstalk. Decorate plant pots for sunflower seeds. Make flower arrangements for flower shop using oasis, baskets & dried/silk flowers. Create large displays indoors/outdoors-e.g. ‘Mary Mary’ observational paintings and drawings. Use oasis & dried flowers to create arrangements for the garden centre.

Creating Music and Dance

Songs & rhymes related to the theme e.g. ‘In my little garden’, ‘Mary, Mary’, ‘I am going to plant a seed’ Create a ‘musical story’ of Jack & The Beanstalk.

Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play

Role Play- Garden Centre, Flower Shop, Jack’s House/Giants Castle (Jack & The Beanstalk).

Physical Development

Growing like plants, moving like giants, climbing. Collage, Painting, Drawing. Digging, using tools with co-ordination & control. Using equipment with care & control.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Care & concern for living things. Sharing new experiences. Finding things out for themselves, working together, sharing ideas.