It's always a good time to plan a Springtime classroom transformation! Especially since Team Lucky Little Learners has the entire day planned out for you! We call this special day, Garden Day. This post will walk you through ways to make spring in the classroom a magical day-long event. In fact, there are so many springtime fun activities, you could easily turn this special day into a special week!
As mentioned above, the Garden Day Classroom Transformation has all the resources you need to plan a successful spring in the classroom transformation. Glance at the schedule below, then use the links to hop to each section.
Plan & Prep
There are things that can be planned and prepped before your Garden Day begins.Use this section as your party “to do” list.
1. Home Note
Sending a note home can help students prepare for the party and keeps parents in the loop. This home note is available in two versions: editable and print and go. The print and go version asks students to bring a sandwich sized ziplock bag and a seed or bean.
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2. Garden Themed Signs & Checklist
There are 7 different garden themed signs plus a student signs checklist and a Rules & Guidelines sign to post around your classroom. Ideas for using the signs:
- Use the signs to signify different center areas around the room. Assign a different sign to each of these activities: Literacy center, Math center, directed draw center, Writing center, Reading Center (put out some garden themed books), etc..If you use your signs this way, students can use the provided checklist and check off each station as they finish.
- Use the signs for student group names.
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3. Certificate & Brag Tags
When the Garden day is done, send your students home with these cute keepsakes: a Garden Day certificate AND Garden Day brag tags!
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Decoration Ideas
The idea of classroom transformations is just what it sounds like….transforming the classroom into something else for the day. However, spending tons of money or any at all, is not required! The Garden Day Classroom Transformation Pack includes an entire sheet full of decoration ideas, many of which you may already have at home OR the students will create. Check the list and photos below for inspiration.
1. Ready to Print on All Access
- Garden Day Banner (Color or Black & White Version-have the students color it!)
- If I were a Garden Gnome Craft-so cute to hang around the room. Use the header, “Hanging with my Gnomies”.
- Other Garden craft ideas: This set of 4 projects include directions and an example picture. Pick one, two, or do them all! They would also make a great art center during your spring transformation.
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2. Crafted or Brought from Home
- Paper flowers-could be student made
- Paper butterfly mobile-student made coffee filter butterflies
- Butcher paper fence-use white or brown paper to create a garden fence around the classroom
- 5 gallon bucket mushrooms-make a red top with white spots
- Green Paper Chains-put these along the ceiling to look like vines
- Flower pots-bring in your old flower pots to hold student supplies throughout the day
- Stuffed animal critters-ladybugs, bees, worms, other animals that could be spotted in a spring garden
- Project a garden scene-use the project to produce spring in the classroom
- Umbrellas-how cool to hang some umbrellas from the ceiling?!
- Large plant door display-turn your classroom door into a huge plant
- Rubber Boots & Gardening Gloves-if you have these, bring them in for decor
3. Optional Purchases
- Watering cans & plastic gardening tools-check your local dollar store soon
- Green plastic Tablecloths-cover tables or floor with these
- Artificial flowers, vines or plants-hang from the ceiling or put in vases, flower pots or on bulletin boards
- Turf or green rugs-use in your gathering area
- Plastic vases or fruit baskets-use the vases for flowers, the baskets could be for student supplies
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Snack Ideas
Your students will be happy with any treat on this special day. Why not top it off with a cute snack label?! Grab the label, and a couple extra fun snack ideas below.
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1. Garden Cup
What kid doesn't like to eat dirt and worms? Okay, maybe the dirt is crushed up cookies and the worms are of the gummy variety. All that is needed for this snack is:
- plastic cups
- gummy worms
- Oreos or a similar cookie
- Chocolate pudding
Directions:
- Put the Oreos in a Ziplock and have fun crushing them to small pieces.
- Add a layer of pudding, cookie crumbs and a gummy worm or two to your cup.
- Repeat.
- Enjoy!
2. Bug Themed Snacks
How fun would it be to tell the students they will be having bugs for snack?! This post from The Decorated Cookie, offers a bunch of bug themed snack ideas.
Morning Work
Start your spring in the classroom day off right with morning work. Students love I Spy activities, and the Garden Day themed I Spy won't disappoint. Have it sitting at students' desks when they arrive in the morning to bring some calm to their excitement. The extra bonus of this activity is students will practice graphing after they have spied all the items.
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Literacy
The Garden Day Transformation not only includes a reading lesson, but also small group plans and prepped centers. Let's break this category down.
1. Reading Lesson
Books
The reading lesson is planned around the books, “The Curious Garden” and “Up the Garden & Down in the Dirt”. Choose to read them both, one at a time with a brain break or lesson between, or pick your favorite. Grab the books on Amazon below.
In “The Curious Garden”, a young boy named Liam finds a struggling garden in his city. When he starts to restore and care for it, it blooms throughout the city.
In “Up the Garden and Down in the Dirt”, students will get a fascinating year round look what happens above and below ground in a garden.
Or, show a digital read aloud of the books.
After reading “The Curious Garden”, try these activities:
- Curious Garden Comprehension Questions
- Ripple Effect- Effect of character actions
- Main Idea & Details
- Character Traits
- Planting Word Seeds-book vocabulary words
After reading “Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt”, practice reading skills with these activities:
- Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt Comprehension Questions
- Who Lives in the Garden mini book
- Searching in the Dirt-word search
- Garden Movement-get up and move
- Would You Rather writing prompt
2. Small Reading Groups
Small group teaching is the best way to get a gauge on student understanding and they shouldn't stop due to a classroom transformation! The small group activities included in the Garden Day Pack focus on shades of meaning and a phonics review long o partner game.
Group 1) Shades of Meaning
Have a quick review of Shades of Meaning with each group. Give them three of the words from the activity sheet. For example, write the words gigantic, big and huge on or index cards. Ask them to put cards in order from weakest to strongest. Have a group discussion on why they picked the order they did. Then, complete the sheet, assisting as needed. (Some groups may need to complete it together, some will be able to complete it independently.)
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Group 2) Long O Review Game
When the work is done, it is time for fun! In the game Growing Rows, students will be reviewing the long O sound. Teach how to play the game before partnering them up.
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3. Literacy Centers
After the lesson, it is time for students to practice their springtime skills independently while the teacher works with small groups. Our team created meaningful literacy centers that offer a pertinent skill review, not just busy work! Bring spring in the classroom to life with these three centers:
Center 1) Syllable Gardens
Focusing on open and closed syllables, Syllable Gardens students will sort word cards into two different gardens based on syllable type. Remind students that a closed syllable has consonants close around a vowel!
Center 2) Picture a Garden
Picture a Garden reviews fact and opinion while also throwing in some writing skills. Students select a garden photo and spin to find out if they will write a fact, opinion or question about their picture. (Great way to review punctuation, capitalization and complete sentences, too.)
Center 3) Berry Baskets
This final center focuses on multiple meaning words. To finish this center, students will need to match two meanings (shown in clipart pictures) with a word.
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Brain Breaks
After all this work, students are bound to need a brain break! Our team has put together a couple options!
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Get your students outside with these fun activity. Students will be tasked with finding a few items in nature. Just remind them, when walking in nature, leave no trace!
2. Springtime Bingo
Bingo is ALWAYS a hit with students. Try this fun spring themed bingo when they need to get some excitement out.
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Math
There is even a spring themed math lessons and math centers for this special Garden Day transformation!
1. Math Lesson
Using digital slides, teachers will walk their students through a lesson on reviewing fractions. (With a garden theme of course.) The lesson will start by reviewing some basic fraction vocabulary and then have students practice writing fractions. The teaching slides lesson will wrap up with a whole group worksheet on which students will show what they know.
All Access member? Download the Math Teaching Slides FREE here or Grab this Bundle from our Shop!
Other options for the math lesson:
- Garden Arrays
- Growing a Garden of Problems-3-Digit Addition
- Numbers with Gnomes-2-Digit Addition
- Place Value Garden Craft
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2. Math Centers
When the whole group lesson is done, it will be time for math centers. Students will be practicing two main skills in their Garden Day math centers:
- Purchasing Plants-practicing counting coins
- Measurement Garden-practicing measuring in inches, feet and yards
Additionally, any of the Math lesson activities not finished could be math centers!
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Science
What Garden Day would be complete without a seed experiment? Students will love this science experiment in which they will watch their seed or bean grow over time with only water and some sunlight. After setting up the experiment, students will use their seedlings observations sheet over a period of days to record any growth.
Wrap up your science time with the, “My Book About Plants” flap book, where students will get to create their own imaginary type of plant.
Social Studies
For Social Studies, students will take a look at famous gardens around the world. Teachers will project these beautiful photographs of the gardens. The class will then have a discussion, or even an opinion writing prompt about which garden they would most like to visit.
Bonus Idea: create a virtual field trip by bringing students to each garden on Google Earth!
All Access member?Download Garden Day Transformation Day Science & Social Studies Activities FREE here or
Writing
The Garden Day Classroom Transformation includes three writing prompts to get students thinking about all things garden:
- Growing a Garden
- How to Plant a Garden
- Would you rather?
Download Garden Day Transformation Writing Activities here OR Buy the Bundle in the LLL Shop!
Behavior Management
With all the excitement classroom transformations bring, there may need to be an extra way to manage student behavior. Our Garden Day transformation includes a flower petal behavior idea: place a petal on the flower each time you catch good behavior, students exceed expectations, etc! Students can even have their own copy for an individualized behavior chart or to keep track of the whole class petal count.
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Interested in additional Classroom Transformations? Check out these fun themes!
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