Materials needed: one small box or tin per student - send a note home to ask parents to help their child bring one to school, give the dimensions so they know what size; gravel or sand, enough to fill each student’s box; stones of various sizes; pine cones, seeds, leaves and any other natural materials; spoons or something to scoop and spread the gravel; a model garden made by the teacherDirections: Set out the materials for making the gardens and create a system by which students can access the materials when the garden making activity begins. Introduce the video by telling students it’s about wonder, beauty, and a granddaughter’s love for her grandfather. After showing the video, emphasize how the girl in the story admired her grandfather’s garden so much that she decided to make a replica of it and give it as a gift to him. Tell students that they will have a chance to make their own garden to give to someone special, a grandparent or parent, or they can keep it as a reminder of the story. Explain the process by which students will get their materials after showing them a model that you’ve created. Tell them to be creative - they don’t have to do it exactly like yours but it should resemble the traditional Japanese garden in the story. Wrap it up: “Today you learned about traditional Japanese gardens, and you made one of your own to take home and give as a gift or keep. Before we leave, I will give you a chance to walk around the room and see what everyone made. I hope you can be curious about the many different cultures in our world, and learn about how they do things, like make a garden, cook a meal, play games. We have so much to learn about each other!”
Materials needed: one small box or tin per student - send a note home to ask parents to help their child bring one to school, give the dimensions so they know what size; gravel or sand, enough to fill each student’s box; stones of various sizes; pine cones, seeds, leaves and any other natural materials; spoons or something to scoop and spread the gravel; a model garden made by the teacherDirections: Set out the materials for making the gardens and create a system by which students can access the materials when the garden making activity begins. Introduce the video by telling students it’s about wonder, beauty, and a granddaughter’s love for her grandfather. After showing the video, emphasize how the girl in the story admired her grandfather’s garden so much that she decided to make a replica of it and give it as a gift to him. Tell students that they will have a chance to make their own garden to give to someone special, a grandparent or parent, or they can keep it as a reminder of the story. Explain the process by which students will get their materials after showing them a model that you’ve created. Tell them to be creative - they don’t have to do it exactly like yours but it should resemble the traditional Japanese garden in the story. Wrap it up: “Today you learned about traditional Japanese gardens, and you made one of your own to take home and give as a gift or keep. Before we leave, I will give you a chance to walk around the room and see what everyone made. I hope you can be curious about the many different cultures in our world, and learn about how they do things, like make a garden, cook a meal, play games. We have so much to learn about each other!”
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