SG -School Gardening for STEM

Grow, garden and learn this summer in the company of Paddy Madden, your only man when it comes to school gardening!

Not only that, but we send you ‘The Paddy Madden Seed Box’ containing a variety of seeds for you to experiment with, sow and enjoy as part of the course. Nice one!

This is the course that is jam packed with fantastic lesson ideas, STEAM projects, informative new videos from Paddy, resources galore to download, seeds for you to plant and just so much more.

We showcase how the school garden, great outdoors and immersion into nature is the perfect canvass on which to do teaching, learning and assessment, in a way that appeals to and energises children in learning.

Paddy is passionate about engaging children with nature and the outdoor learning environment that comprises the school garden, school grounds and the local hedgerows, lanes and byways of Ireland.

He contends that children should be able to identify their native trees, plants and insects, in the same way as they can name big brands and celebrities!

In each module Paddy showcases what is typically happening outside in nature month-by-month from September to June. From the first week of September, we highlight the opportunities for cross curricular lessons and immersive, engaging, hands-on learning by the children.

This is the pedagogy of ‘Garden Based Learning’ (GBL) at its very best.

Paddy informs us in his own inimitable way about plants and wonderous worms, seed germination, seed dispersal, trees, invertebrates, birds, amphibians, life cycles, rocks, soils & compost, sowing veg & potatoes, container gardening, vertical farming, bees, flowers, pollination, the hedgerow, butterflies and so much more.

Then comes the big STEAM Projects, each project fully scoped out, incorporating a multidisciplinary approach to each and every topic to include the elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (both visual arts and languages) and Mathematics.

Each STEAM Project could be two weeks work, and each includes all the subjects as above.

1. Plan & Build a Biodiverse Garden
2. Build a Directional Compass Indicator
3. Build an Invertebrates Hotel
4. Build a Biome
5. Build a Weather Station
6. Build a Bird Box
7. Design, Plan and Engineer a Bio-Diverse Garden 
8. Investigate and Record the Conditions Necessary for Germination
9. Plant a Living Roof
10. Build and Install a Sun Dial
11. Build a Composter
12. Build Hedgehog House.
13. Build a Bird Feeder
14. Build a Rock Habitat
15. Plant an Indoor Garden
16. Investigate Conditions for Growing
17. Build Raised Beds
18. Build a Vertical Farm
19. Build a Model of a Pollinator
20. Build a Nest
21. Build a Rainwater Harvesting & Storage Mechanism 
22. Build Sensory Features into your Garden, 
23. Construct a 3D Model of Life Cycle of a Butterfly 
24. Model to Explain Bee Pollination 
25. Create a fun Tree Trail etc. 

If you are looking for an engaging context in which to teach an integrated curriculum, then the ‘School Garden + Garden Based Learning’ (GBL) is the perfect approach.

Come, plant yourself into our garden this summer, and we will certainly grow you into a different kind of teacher, where you will let nature lead the way!

NOTE:

The on-line format of this course enables you to study at a time and place that best suits your own needs. 

You can access your course from July 1st to August 16th 2024.

Within this highly interactive web-based course, a dynamic learning experience awaits. You can interact with your fellow course participants through the in-course chat forums and communication tools provided by the CPD College learning system. 

Our friendly and knowledgeable tutors actively support each course, providing expert interaction, guidance and feedback for all participants on chat questions and assignments which call for critical reflection, self-analysis and a reasoned response. 

On successful completion of your course, you can download and print off your CPD record and certificate of completion.

We look forward to welcoming you to your course.