National Weed Your Garden Day, observed on June 13, is a perfect opportunity to teach kids about gardening, responsibility, and the importance of maintaining healthy plants. Here’s a full classroom lesson plan centered on planting and weeding a garden with interactive and educational elements. Here is an ideal Lesson Plan to use or build from:
🌿 Classroom Lesson Plan: “Grow, Weed, Repeat!”
For National Weed Your Garden Day – June 13
Grade Level: 2nd–4th
Duration: 45–60 minutes
Theme: Gardening, Plant Care, Environmental Awareness
🎯 Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students will:
- Understand the basic steps of planting seeds.
- Learn why weeding is important for plant health.
- Practice identifying weeds vs. garden plants.
- Participate in a simulated or real garden activity.
📚 Materials Needed
- Seed packets (beans or sunflowers work well)
- Small pots or seed starter trays
- Potting soil
- Spray bottles or watering cans
- Plastic garden tools or child-safe weeding tools
- Printable worksheet: “Plant or Weed?”
- Access to school garden or green space (if available)
- Optional: Gloves, magnifying glasses, clipboards
🪴 Lesson Outline
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
Start with a fun question:
“What do plants need to grow?”
Write answers on the board (sun, water, soil, space, air).
Introduce National Weed Your Garden Day and explain what a weed is. Use a real weed or a picture to show an example.
2. Mini-Lesson (10 minutes)
Topics to cover:
- Steps to planting a seed
- What a healthy plant looks like
- Why weeds are a problem (compete for water, sunlight, nutrients)
- How to remove weeds safely
3. Activity Stations (25–30 minutes)
🌱 Station 1: Plant a Seed
Students fill a small pot with soil, plant a seed, and water it.
🧤 Station 2: Weeding Practice (Real or Simulated)
If outdoors: Let students carefully pull weeds from a garden bed.
If indoors: Create a pretend garden with colored paper “plants” and “weeds” in a sensory bin or sandbox. Kids identify and remove the “weeds.”
🧠 Station 3: Worksheet – “Plant or Weed?”
Students complete a worksheet where they circle pictures of plants and cross out weeds. Include fun facts on each page.
💬 Discussion & Wrap-Up (5–10 minutes)
Gather students and ask:
- What was the most fun part of gardening today?
- Why do you think gardeners need to check for weeds often?
Let students name one thing they learned. Optionally, sing a simple garden-themed song or read a short poem or story about gardening.
📌 Extension Ideas
- Track their planted seeds’ growth for the next few weeks.
- Write a garden journal entry or draw a picture of their “dream garden.”
- Take a class photo with their planted pots to send home.