Creating Museum Garden Learning Experiences

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Creating Museum (Garden) Learning Experiences

• _at_ Michigan 4-H Childrens Gardens

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Big Picture

• How do you want teachers / students to see
  (understand, use) the museum?
• How do you want to impact student learning?

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Specific considerations

• How long should a visit last?
• What have your experiences been?
• What does research suggest?
• What about repeat visits?

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Considerations - Technology

• Where does technology fit?
• What is technologys role(s)?
• To enhance and expand hands-on learning.

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Other thoughts

• Want each student to take a part of our garden
  (museum) with them.
• Want each student to leave a part of themselves
  in the garden (museum).

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Seeds of Science

• Planting Curiosity,
• Nurturing Wonder,
• Growing Understanding

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Big Picture

• Objectives
• Encourage curiosity and wonder
• Engage in hands-on explorations
• Follow Science process
• Do authentic experiments
• Elegantly integrate technology
• Connect teachers with scientists
• Connect students with
• scientists

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Science Process

• Ask a Question
• Research
• Hypothesis
• Design an Experiment
• Collect Data
• Explain Data
• Ask New Questions

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Seeds of Science

• Day-long field trips (9am 2pm)
• Multi-day (usually 3)
• Visits separated by 1-2 weeks
• Specific between visit experiments, activities,
  connections
• Designed with each teacher

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Activities

• Garden Scavenger Hunt
• Science Process
• Authentic Experiments
• Wondercasts
• Plant Problems
• Personal Science Assistant

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Curiosity Wonder Questions
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Kids Questions

• Why do we even have aphids?
• Where do plant smells come from?
• Do Poinsettias have red chlorophyll?
• Do the leaves of Sensitive plant close when it
  rains?

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Science Process
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Authentic Experiments

• Pansy evaluations
• Fast Plants growing in Mars soil
• Salad Bowl Experiment

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Pansy Evaluations

• Which cultivars do 4th graders rate as superior?

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Fast Plants

• Will Fast Plants grow in Mars soil?

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Salad Bowl Experiment

• Which salad greens are the best for 4th grade
  lunches?

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Wondercasts
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Plant Problems
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Personal Science Assistant
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Staying connected
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On-line Wonder Wall
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On-line Wonder Wall

• 284 fourth graders
• 6 weeks (late April early June)
• Nearly 5,000 posts
• Flower drawings, flower parts and labeling
• Chat Plant game

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Wonder Wall Questions

• Why are most plants green?
• Is the style like the filament on the male part
  of the flower?
• Is all pollen the same color?
• What is the most important
• part of a flower
• the stamen or pistil?

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Wonder Wall Questions

• Sometimes a plants stem is cut, but if I put the
  stem and flower in water then in 2 weeks it will
  have roots. Why are the roots growing?
• Why do plants smell good?
• How come flowers dont have
• smell when they are old?

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Seeds of Science works

• Changes in attitude about plants and science
• Increased content knowledge
• Changes in content structure
• Requests for more
• From students
• From teachers
• From parents
• From docents

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Seeds of Science

• The 4-H Childrens Garden is a magical place of
  learning. -12 year-old

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4-H Childrens Gardens

• Center for Teaching and Learning
• Center for Technology Integration
• Center for Plant Evaluation
• Center for Sustainable Childrens Gardens

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Contact Information

• Norm Lownds
• Associate Professor
• Curator, 4-H Childrens Gardens
• Email lownds_at_msu.edu
• Phone [phone] x. 1-349