Information Technology:
Planning your plot: ICT: You will need to create a plan of your plot so that you can work out what you will grow and where. You will need to take into account that some plants will need more space than other and also consider which plants will grow together and what the needs of each type of plant are. In other words learn as much as you can about the plants that you intend to grow. An online vegetable plot planning tool is available from Growveg.com. This has proved very popular in some schools and a school licence is available which allows a single account to be used by multiple pupils or groups of pupils in a class. This is basically the same as a single-user account but is marked for concurrent access. It costs £25 per year (which can be invoiced to the school if required). The teacher will usually set up the plan for the garden as a template that they then copy over for each child/group. The pupils are all logged on to the same account but open the plan allotted to them so that they don't save over each other's work. Setting it up this way enables the teacher to log on and get access to all the pupils' plans after the class. For more information use the contact button on their website. Please refer to this website when you do so. |
Control Systems: Link to Design Technology, ICT: Use a software application such as Junior Control Insight, Flowol, Control It etc to: 
design a system for a greenhouse that controls a watering systen so that water is delivered to the plants at a certain time or when the temperature is above a certain level. design a system for a greenhouse that will switch on heating at a certain times or when the temperature is below a certain level. Switch off the heating at a certain time or when the temperature rises above a certain level. design a system for a greenhouse that switch on a light at a certain time or when the light is below a certain level and switches it off at a certain time or when the light is above a certain level.
If you haven't already got a control interface various options are available. To access links to suppliers click here. I like the USB interface from Deltronics click here for information. Many laptops no longer have a serial socket so USB is the safer and more reliable option. Six outputs and inputs are also preferable to four. For information on accessories i.e input and output devices click here. (Other suppliers are also available). It is important to ensure the input and output devices are suitable for use with the interface being used. |
Design a Side Salad:  Link to Design Technology, Science - healthy eating, and Literacy
Research the types of side salads that are available in the local supermarket and what type of combinations of ingredients are used,. Focus in particular on the types of salads that have ingredients that you are growing in your vegetable patch. Design a tasty side salad. ICT: Take a digital photograph of the finished salad Using recipe book conventions publish the recipe so that someone else can reproduce your salad. Each recipe can be incorporated into a class recipe book or a class recipe website |
| Studying Life Cycles of Garden Minibeasts:  Link to Literacy and Science
Research the life cycles of the minbeast that you find in your vegetable patch. Try rearing some of them - you may be lucky and able to find eggs of the ladybird or butterfly. Butterfly rearing kits can be bought commercially click here Take photos and video of your chosen species and use the Internet to find out about their life cycles. ICT: Take photos and video of your chosen species and use the Internet to find out about their life cycles. Compose a report on your findings maybe using ICT to publish as a Powerpoint Show or information sheet or create a short digital video. Click here for information on wildlife that you may find in your patch |
Click here for Life Cycle kits available from Spotty Boxes |
Save the Honeybee: 
Link to Science & Literacy One factor in the decline of honeybees has been shown to be the use of pesticides containing neonicotinoids. To find out how you can help the honey bee population visit the Soil Association's website. This topic would also provide a great letter writing activity for children. Click here for information on how to write to your MP. |
 Using Charts and Graphs to Record Amount Harvested: Link to Maths Graphs and charts can be used to record the amount of produce harvested. The type of graph or chart can be selected to match the age of the pupils. You could create a weekly/monthly graph or create a cumulative graph by adding new amounts as produce is picked. Alternatively you could graph the weight of the produce gathered. |
Designs on Nature Fruit or vegetables can be scanned or photographed. The images can then be loaded into an painting or image manipulation package to create stunning effects. The resulting work can be also used in a D and T activity to create place mats or menus to use at a party, to create a photograph frame or even to create special planting labels. If you wish to scan the objects you will need to make sure that you cover the scanner with cling film of an acetate sheet. As it will be difficult to close the scanner lid you will need to use a cover to block out any light. Click here for ideas on how to use natural objects in design |
Weighing Produce:  Link to Maths As above but insteadof just counting the amount of articles gathered record by weighing - using the appropriate type of scales. |
Vegetables through the Ages: 
Link to History Use the Internet to research the history of the vegetables that you are growing |
Costing Produce:  Link to Maths Pupils could calculate how much the vegetables produced would have cost to buy in the supermarket. Older pupils could use a spreadsheet to cost individual types of vegetables. They could also cost the amount spent in packets of seeds, plants, compost etc. and calculate whether growing their own vegetables saves money. |
Life Cycles of Vegetable Plants:  Link to Science and Literacy Study the life cycle of a chosen vegetable plant and create an information sheet or PowerPoint show explaining the life cycle Click here to read information on resources available to support this project
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Creating a Branching Database: 
Link to Science Create a branching database to identify vegetables, fruits or minibeasts found in the garden. |
Taking Digital Photographs: 
There are countless opportunities for digital photographer to record the changes and activities in the vegetable patch. Photographs can be incorporated into many cross curricular projects. |