Garden Unit Studies: Early & Upper Elementary
Bring math, science, and handwriting out to the garden.
There is a lot more growing in a garden than vegetables.
A garden gives children a place to watch a seed become a plant, discover what is happening beneath the soil, observe insects and pollinators, measure and count, track the weather, and begin to understand where their food actually comes from.
The Kidsteaders Garden Unit Studies take those everyday garden lessons and turn them into a three-week homeschool study covering math, science, and handwriting.
Choose from Early Elementary or Upper Elementary, with activities and lessons designed for each learning level.
Learning that starts in the garden
You don’t need a perfect garden or acres of land to teach your children about growing food.
A few seeds, a small garden bed, or even some containers can open the door to lessons in botany, weather, insects, soil, math, writing, observation, and more.
That’s what we wanted these studies to capture.
Instead of teaching each subject completely on its own, the Garden Unit Studies give children a common thread to follow. They may practice math using vegetables one day, learn about pollination the next, and head outside to make observations in their own garden after that.
The result is a homeschool unit that feels connected to real life.
Choose the right study for your child
Early Elementary Garden Unit Study
A playful introduction to gardening, plants, math, science, and handwriting.
The Early Elementary Garden Unit Study was created for younger learners who are still building foundational skills.
Across 72 printable pages, children work through garden-themed math, handwriting, science, vocabulary, observation, and other activities over the course of approximately three weeks.
The math pages weave garden life into early skills through counting vegetables, addition and subtraction, comparing more and less, shapes, number recognition, counting to 100, and garden-themed word problems.
But this isn’t just a packet of garden-themed math worksheets.
Children are also introduced to real garden science, including:
The science portion even includes opportunities to grow microgreens, test what seeds and plants need, record observations, identify beneficial insects, and plan a companion garden.
Handwriting Practice With a Garden Twist
Handwriting practice follows the garden theme, too.
Children can trace letters and practice garden-related words from artichoke and bumblebee to tomato, vine, and watermelon. There is also open copywork for continued practice. Kidsteader Garden Unit Study Ea…
That means handwriting isn’t an unrelated assignment squeezed into the day. It becomes another part of what your child is already learning.
72 pages • Math + Science + Handwriting • 3-week study
Use Digitally or Printed
This is a PDF printable resource that you can use on a tablet, phone, computer, or other device, OR you can print it out and have it bound yourself for a pen-and-paper version.
No hard copy will be mailed to you.
Upper Elementary Garden Unit Study
Take garden learning a little deeper.
For older elementary students, the Upper Elementary Garden Unit Study builds on the same garden theme with work suited to children who are ready for more independent reading, writing, math, observation, and problem-solving.
This version includes 64 printable pages covering math, science, and handwriting over approximately three weeks.
Students aren’t simply learning that plants grow. They get to investigate how they grow and begin connecting what they see in the garden to the science and math behind it.
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More Than a Gardening Lesson
Your student can explore topics such as plant growth and germination, seeds, plant anatomy, pollination and beneficial insects, weather, soil, companion planting, and other concepts connected to growing a garden.
Math is worked into the garden rather than feeling tacked on, with activities that give students opportunities to practice skills such as measurement, graphing, problem-solving, and area and perimeter.
It’s a chance to take skills they might normally encounter on a worksheet and put them into a setting that actually makes sense.
64 pages • Math + Science + Handwriting • 3-week study
Use Digitally or Printed
This is a PDF printable resource that you can use on a tablet, phone, computer, or other device, OR you can print it out and have it bound yourself for a pen-and-paper version.
No hard copy will be mailed to you.
What’s Included?
Each Garden Unit Study is a digital, printable homeschool resource built around three core subjects:
SCIENCE
Learn about the living systems at work in a garden, from seeds and soil to plant growth, pollination, insects, and the conditions plants need to thrive.
MATH
Practice age-appropriate math skills using vegetables, garden plans, measurements, observations, weather, and other garden-based activities.
HANDWRITING
Build handwriting and written communication skills while reinforcing garden vocabulary and concepts your child is already studying.
Plus: garden activities, experiments, observation opportunities, puzzles, vocabulary work, and additional resources help break up traditional worksheet work.
Don’t Just Read About It. Grow Something.
One of the best parts of a garden study is that the learning doesn’t have to stay on the page.
The study gives your child a framework for learning, but the garden gives them a place to see those lessons happening right in front of them.
And you don’t need a large homestead garden to do it. A raised bed, a few containers, or a sunny windowsill can give children plenty to observe.
The study gives your child a framework for learning, but the garden gives them a place to see those lessons happening right in front of them.
And you don’t need a large homestead garden to do it! A raised bed, a few containers, or a sunny windowsill can give children plenty to observe.
You Don’t Have to Be a Master Gardener
This isn’t a gardening curriculum written only for families with established homesteads and picture-perfect gardens.
It’s an invitation to learn alongside your child.
You can work through the lessons while you’re starting your very first garden, use them alongside a garden you already grow every year, or plant a few seeds specifically so your child has something of their own to observe.
Because sometimes the lessons children remember best aren’t the ones that happened around the school table.
They’re the ones they watched grow.
Ready to dig in?
Choose the Garden Unit Study that fits your child and turn the next few weeks of homeschool into a chance to learn, observe, grow, and get your hands a little dirty.