Few probably know that I have some classroom resources on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. My user name there is Garden Club Lessons. I taught an after-school garden club for 13 years at the elementary school my boys attended. For the most part, I researched topics and then developed my own lessons.
It’s not anywhere near a steady stream of income but I do occasionally have customers. This morning I found a nice review on my page offering a FREE download of a Christmas Cactus project for classroom use. It is a hands-on project and one that allows the students to take something home (perhaps for a parent gift) to watch and enjoy for years to come. The teacher’s outlay for supplies is minimal. And, the students receive a little lesson on this very popular holiday cactus, the Schlumbergera. The lesson even incorporates some world geography, as most of my lessons were interdisciplinary. I tried to include as many subject areas as I could in each month’s lesson. I believe it is the way to teach, instead of using a siloed approach.
Since I received such positive feedback and the resource I’m providing is FREE, I thought I’d share it with you today. If you go to my Teachers Pay Teachers homepage (Garden Club Lessons) I also have some more resources available that might be fun at this time of year, such as the Terrarium Ornaments.
Soon, I will have a hard copy available for the Math Meets Nature word problems. I am working on an indie-published paperback for that compilation.
I’ve always enjoyed writing curriculum and actually miss this activity as I prepared for the garden club each month. Over the 13 years, I lead this club, I had over 500 student members. I always try to remember that even if I made some kind of impact on just a few…environmentally, the world might be a better place!
I hope you enjoy this special time of year with your students. Happy Holidays!
The Apples in My Orchard 