Lessons on gardens: Which class garden is right for you?

What kind of teacher are you? Learn about which class garden you should start, according to your teaching style.

Getting into nature is important for your mental health, and lately it’s more important than ever for teachers to take care of their wellbeing. That being said, with COVID-19 restrictions and the winter season, it might be a challenge for you to discover the great outdoors. The solution? An indoor garden.

What better way to help your mental health and to encourage cross-disciplinary learning, not to mention brightening up your classroom, than creating an indoor class garden in the new year?

There are more types of indoor gardens than you might think, and just like a well-chosen teaching outfit or stationary set, your garden can be an expression of your teaching style.

What kind of teacher are you?

1. The wholesome, energetic one.
2. The calm, minimalist one.
3. The outside-the-box, quirky one.
4. The adventurous, imaginative one.

Scroll to the corresponding number to discover which easy indoor garden you should try in the new year.

1. For the wholesome teacher who (probably) rocks a cardigan and is always slightly over caffeinated:

The teacup herb garden.

You’re the teacher who loves their coffee (or tea) and doesn’t care who knows it. Your classroom is filled with colourful artworks and posters, and your students would describe you as kind, fair, and energetic. It’s time to put all those extra teacher-gifts to good use. Clear out your cupboard and brighten up your classroom with a teacup herb garden.

You can make this a class project and have your students grow the herbs themselves, or surprise them with a new garden when they get back to school in the new term. The best part is, this garden is easy to pack up and take home for the summer: just put the mugs into a box and transition them to your sunny windowsill at home.

How to make your garden:

1. Fill the bottom ¼ of your mug with river pebbles, to encourage good drainage and ensure the plant’s roots don’t stay wet.
2. Fill the rest of the mug with soil and either plant the seeds or place the adult plant inside. Make sure you leave half an inch of space from the top of the mug, to ensure there’s space for watering.
3. Place the mug in a sunny windowsill, water a little bit every day, and watch your garden thrive. You can even pick the herbs for home-cooking.

Read more detailed instructions here.

Student learning:

1. Biology: learn about the plant life-cycle.
2. Art: discover recycled and DIY art. Ask students what else they could re-use for an art project.
3. History: the cultural impact & history of herb gardens.
4. Food & nutrition: learn about different herbs & what they can do for our bodies. If you’re able to, you could cook together.
5. Writing: Have students write their own recipes using the herbs you’re growing, or write a story about a herb garden.

2. For the calm teacher who always seems at ease (how do you do that!?) and enjoys a minimalist style:

The rock garden.

Solid as a rock: you’re the teacher who is always calm, much to the envy of your colleagues. You never raise your voice, and you like to keep things simple. The rock garden is perfect for you because it doesn’t require too much upkeep, and can be used to promote mindfulness to your students.

It’s important to acknowledge the history of the rock garden, which originates in Chinese and Japanese cultures. Learn more about zen rock gardens here and what zen means more generally here.

How to make your garden:

1. Find the right container: you can use a plant pot, deep baking pan, or bowl; it’s up to you. Hit up your local thrift store or your own cupboard first, to keep costs low.
2. Decide what you want in your garden; some people have sand with a tiny rake, others plant succulents between the rocks. (Find more detailed instructions for creating a succulent rock garden here.) If you would prefer not to plant anything, you can add a faux plant, or an air plant (which doesn’t need soil to grow).
3. Make the garden your own, for more ideas on what you can do in your rock garden check out this article. Keep the garden on your desk, or leave it in a corner of your classroom.

Student learning:

1. Social studies: learn about the history of rock gardens and zen practice.
2. Physical education and health: teach meditation and mindfulness, and gardening as a mental health practice.
3. Art: look at depictions of rock gardens in Chinese and Japanese artworks.
4. Cross-disciplinary project: have your students make their own mini rock gardens and write about the choices they made.
5. Writing: have your students keep a daily journal to encourage mindfulness.

3. For the teacher who likes to think outside of the box and has a quirky sense of style:

An indoor water garden.

So you really wanted to have an aquarium, but you’re worried about traumatizing your students with dead fish, or maybe you just want to take the idea of a garden to a whole new level, either way, indoor water gardens are seriously cool. You’re the kind of teacher who likes to think outside of the box, and your students are never quite sure what to expect when they walk into your classroom. Cheers to keeping them on their toes!

How to make your garden:

1. Choose some glass containers, or one big container and fill the bottom with aquarium sand, crushed shells, rocks or gravel.
2. Choose your plants: you will need to research those specific plants’ needs, and alter your water garden accordingly. (The plants in the picture above are called marimo moss balls, and they are very easy to take care of.)
3. Set the garden up and add water, either with your students or before they get to school as a surprise.

Student learning:

1. Science: learn about underwater ecosystems and the life-cycles of underwater plants versus plants that grow on land.
2. Art: ask your students to paint or draw their own underwater gardens.
3. Writing: have your students write a step-by-step guide for creating an underwater garden, write a story about an underwater garden, or research and make a plan for a garden they could make at home.

4. For the imaginative daydreamer teacher who probably keeps a copy of The Hobbit on their desk.

The fantasy garden.

You’re the teacher who brings magic to the classroom, in more ways than one. You grew up reading fantasy novels and your class always has a sense of adventure. The fantasy garden can be whatever you want, which is why you’ll love creating it.

How to make your garden:

1. Choose a large container and fill it with soil.
2. Choose the central character(s) of your garden. Who lives there? Gnomes, fairies, trolls? This will help you choose the decor for the garden.
3. Place your character’s house, any decorations, rocks, glass marbles, etc inside the garden. Here’s where you can be creative — make sure all of your decorations can get wet.
4. Lastly, plant whichever plants you want in the garden around the decorations you’ve chosen. Place the garden in a sunny corner and make sure your plants get plenty of water.
5. For more detailed instructions watch this video.

Student learning

1. Biology: learn about photosynthesis and plant growth through the live plants in the garden.
2. Reading: your garden could be related to a text you’re reading in class, using its central characters or location for inspiration. Read different stories with gardens in them, and talk about what usually takes place in a garden.
3. Writing: Have your students write a story that takes place in the garden.
4. Interdisciplinary learning: have students create their own fantasy garden with whichever creatures they want.

Whichever type of teacher you are, your students are lucky to have someone who would go above and beyond for them. If you love getting new ideas for lessons like these, sign up for Teacherly! It’s free, and there are hundreds of lessons from accredited teachers right there.

Do you have a classroom garden? We would love to see it. Contact us at zoe@teacherly.io and tell us all about it in the next Teacherly Story.