Strawberries to taste
School Garden Lesson

Strawberry Garden Lesson

By

* Please note that whenever you do tasting in the garden, first check with the teacher and the kids about allergies *

Objective

  • Learn about the different parts of a strawberry plant and how it reproduces.
  • Get kids planting in the garden.
  • Learn about nutrition, calories, why we need to eat fruit.
  • Get kids using their senses to explore and learn.

What you need

  • Strawberry plant (at least one for demonstration).
  • Strawberries for tasting!
  • Measuring cup to demonstrate how many strawberries is a serving.
  • If planting the strawberries, also a container to plant them in, soil, and a handheld garden spade.

Strawberry Lesson or What to teach the kids about Strawberries

Strawberries are fun and pretty easy to grow so they are ideal for a school garden. As an added bonus, they taste delicious and most children (and adults) enjoy eating them.

I started the lesson going over the Strawberry plant. I drew it for my lesson, but I have this image that you can use below for a slide or hand out.

Diagram of the Anatomy of a Strawberry Plant
Diagram of the Anatomy of a Strawberry Plant

Leaves – These are in a pattern of three. I had the kids feel the leave and notice the pattern. They are there to get energy from the sun and to provide shade to the fruit.

Roots – The roots of the plant help anchor it to the ground. They draw up water and minerals that the plant needs to grow.

Runner – These are special stems that shoot our from the plant. Instead of growing leaves or flowers though, they take root and are the beginning of a daughter plant.

Daughter Plant – This is a little baby plant and is the most proficient way that strawberries multiply. If you want to get lots of strawberry plants, let the runners go and they will multiply into many different plants. If you want more strawberries to eat though, cut these as they require a lot of energy from the plant to produce.

Flowers – The flowers are white and delicate and they have a bright yellow center with pollen. This is to attract pollinators. That vibrant center will eventually become a strawberry.

Fruit – Strawberries are delicious for a reason. Hold the fruit up and look at it. There are tiny seed all around the plant. These can technically grow a new strawberry plant. Nature is really clever and attacks mammals and birds to eat the fruit and then when they go the bathroom, the seeds get distributed in fertilizer!

Nutrition of a strawberry

I am not a nutritionist, so I feel uncomfortable speaking with authority about why someone should eat something. That being said, strawberries are good for you and half your plate at each meal should include fruits and/or veggies. We are all to get 5 servings a day. A serving of Strawberries is one cup (I assume this is cut up, but I’m not exactly sure. I took the measuring cup to show the kids and filled it with strawberries. There were gaps, but it seemed to be about 5 large strawberries.

Eating strawberries give you 50 or so calories. Ask the kids what they think calories are. Even most adults will get this wrong. It is a unit of measurement and what calories measures is energy. We need to fuel our energy with food. Some food, like strawberries, have a low number but are filled with nutrients that your body needs.

Strawberries are mostly water and sugar, but it isn’t sugar like candy, where your energy level spikes and then you get exhausted. The water and the fiber in strawberries help your body maintain its energy output without the spike and the drop. That being said, fruit like strawberries are great for kids to eat before they go out and play! Even people with diabetes who have to monitor their insulin can eat strawberries (and they can not eat candy).

Set up for the strawberry garden lesson
Here is the set up for the strawberry garden lesson

Time for the activity – planting or exploring

The kids are divided into two groups.

Taste Test and writing station

The first half each get a strawberry. They observer the strawberry and eventually eat it (except two of the kids, one of which was allergic and the other hates strawberries). Then they answered the questions. Before we let them go, I asked them if they could eat the green part around the strawberry plant. They all said no. I told them, that the green party won’t hurt them, but some people don’t like it as much as the red berry. They are welcome to try it an report back! In the very least, don’t freak out if you accidentally eat it! Note also that to spell the plurel of strawberry, you drop the Y and add IES.

  1. What does the strawberry LOOK like? Use adjectives to describe (bumpy, red, shiny, rough, circle, heart,)
  2. What does the strawberry SMELL like? Use adjectives or phrases to describe (sweet, earthy, like honey)
  3. What does the strawberry FEEL like? (leaves are soft, skin in bumpy, feels smooth)
  4. What does the strawberry TASTE like? (water, melon, sweet, sugar).
  5. When you are done, you can make up a story or a poem about strawberries.

Each kid got an extra strawberry at the end of their lesson if their teacher said that it was okay.

Planting station

This is optional. As you may already have strawberries growing in your school garden. If you do not, add them with the lesson! We decided to add them to the fence to deter critters from eating them. We have lots of squirrels and rabbits whom I am sure would love to eat the strawberries! We 12 pack are going to make it difficult. I had the kids line up and half of them put the plants in and the other half filled the areas in between with dirt. There ended up being enough for everyone to do something and get their hands dirty.

Planting strawberries in rain gutters
Planting strawberries in rain gutters
planting strawberries in rain gutters
The kids really enjoyed planting the strawberries in the rain gutters.
kid planting strawberries rain gutters school garden

This lesson could also be adapted with a cooking element with strawberries. Maybe I’ll do that in future years because strawberries are good when they are cooked down!

Resources for this lesson to learn more

Author

Related Posts